When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Konami celebrates 30th anniversary

March marks Konami's 30th anniversary, and it has been quite a journey for the one-time Pachinko maker, from fledgling arcade developer who couldn't even score a distribution deal (SEGA had to sell "Frogger" machines for Konami) to a publishing juggernaut that saw hundreds of thousands of pre-sells for its "Metal Gear Solid 2" two years ago.

In the early 1980s, then-huge Stern was called in to distribute several of Konami's arcade titles in America, such as shoot-'em-up pioneers "Scramble" and "Super Cobra," "Amidar" (a clever "Donkey Kong" clone) and "Tutankham," the world's first tomb-raiding game.

Since the rise of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Konami has been more than comfortable publishing its own titles.

Impressed with its games, Nintendo in the mid-1980s signed Konami as its first official third-party publisher, marking the beginning of a partnership that produced such celebrated titles as "Metal Gear," "Gradius" and "Castlevania."

Konami's real home run is "Metal Gear Solid," the 3-D superspy game that is often heralded as one of the best games ever produced.

Best of all, though, a new "Castlevania" is being prepped for the PlayStation 2.

News source: Chicago Tribune

Report a problem with article
Next Article

Acclaim gets sued

Previous Article

Windows 2003 Server build 3787 in Escrow?