A developer and publisher of video games, toys, trading cards, casino slot machines, arcade cabinets and health & fitness equipment
Konami Corporation is best known in the west for their development and publication of video games and is based in Tokyo. Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania and Silent Hill are among Konami's many game franchises.
The company also has a substantial footing in the trading card game market, most notably holding the license to Yu-Gi-Oh! They also having a gaming & system business for the design, manufacture, sales and service of casino gaming machines and management systems with bases in both North America and Australia. The company extends its corporate reach further by operating fitness clubs as well as designing, manufacturing and selling exercise machines and related products in Japan under Konami Sports & Life Co., Ltd.1
BlogThe Darkness II has been rated MA15+ (legally restricted for sale/hire to people over the age of 15) twice by the Classification Board of Australia, after voluntary re-submission to include a newer version containing a sex scene. Coming with the advice of "strong horror violence, blood and gore, sex scenes and coarse language", the game was not refused classification despite very strong violence. Read on
In 2009 Yoko Sekiguichi was entitled to six months maternity leave to have a baby. When she returned to work at Konami she found she'd been demoted and had a ¥200,000 pay cut forced on her. Konami reasoned this was due to the "burden" placed on them.
She has now won a case in the Tokyo High Court against the company but was only able to obtain ¥950,000 (out of the ¥33 million she was asking for).
BlogKonami has announced that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will be available in the United States on November 8. Great if you live there. If you're in Europe - too bad. You have to wait until sometime next year, in 2012. Do we really still live in an era that requires months of extra waiting time for PAL releases because companies were too slack to get their European language localisation sorted earlier? Really? I call bullshit frankly, and I wish companies would move forward and localise things on time. It's not like Konami Europe didn't know the title was coming - what's the deal here? Final Fantasy XIII had no problem with this, neither did Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Even God of War III was only out a couple of days later in Europe than its United States release. Read on
After thinking it through carefully I have come to realize that I am unwilling to be part of any legal barrier or excuse which prevents a new generation from experiencing Silent Hill 2 the way the original Team Silent created it. The only way to do this appears to be for me to relinquish all my rights to Konami and so I hereby completely waive all rights to my motion capture and vocal performances in the Silent Hill 2 production without demand for additional consideration. Have your lawyer send me the proper documents required so that we can put this fiasco behind us. I call on Konami to release the HD versions of SH2, and all subsequent re-releases, with the original vocal tracks intact. If you desire, I welcome you to include the new vocal tracks so that fans can choose which version they prefer.
Konami knows that they owe me residuals for all previous unauthorized re-uses of my mocap and vocal performances. It would appear Konami is seeking to avoid further liability by changing the voice in their latest re-use of the SH2 materials. However, if any of my mocap appears in the new release, Konami will be liable for unauthorized reuse of my performance. Like Gump’s momma said, “stupid is as stupid does.” It would have been much better for everyone had Konami simply made me a reasonable offer…I’ll get around to seeking compensation through the courts one of these days. I simply don’t have the time for it right now. I hope this doesn’t bum out any fans… It’s just business as usual on the production side of games.
