While Konami mentioned last month their main platform would be mobile, the thought of PES being left out was something that bothered many soccer fans.
Well, rest assured PES is not going anywhere, according to a blog posted on Gamasutra by Christian Nutt.
Leaving aside the games that Hayakawa cited as examples of Konami's penchant for innovation over the last several decades, the only games he really spoke optimistically about -- the ones that have an assured future outside the mobile space -- are Pro Evolution Soccer and Powerful Pro Baseball, both long-running, reliable, and repeatable sports titles.
Of course, that still comes with a bit of a caveat in some respects as Konami Digital Entertainment president Hideki Hayakawa also hinted at microtransactions being part of the appeal.
And conversation around them mostly focused on how the company can get console gamers to shell out for microtransactions. (Powerful Pro also recently had a successful mobile version, which Hayakawa also trumpeted.)
None of this should come as a big shock to the system. Konami is making lots of money on gambling-type games and mobile games. The microtransactions found in sports games can be highly lucrative as we've seen with EA's Ultimate Team modes. And sequel-driven elements of sports games fit right in with Konami's business narrative at this point as well.
So what it comes down to is being relieved that a very good soccer game is not going anywhere, but also being aware of how microtransactions and myClub might influence the rest of the game moving forward.
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