Konami held a strategy briefing today to announce that they´ve lowered their profit forecast for the year by 48 percent. Specifically, the company estimates a net profit of 7 billion yen, significantly lower than analysts’ projections of 12.9 billion. According to company representatives, the sharp decline is largely due to a downturn in Konami´s card game business and rising videogame development costs. For the year Konami plans to ship 122 games, up from 105 last year. Despite the lowered projections, Konami hopes to list on the New York Stock Exchange this fall. Shares in the company currently traded on the Tokyo exchange have fallen more than 11 percent this year.
Thankfully however, Konami ended the briefing on a positive note by confirming several new projects in development, including sequels to some of Konami´s most popular series. Among them ´Metal Gear Solid Substance,´ believed to be a remake of the classic action title developed by famed game producer Hideo Kojima for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC. In addition, Konami revealed plans for ´Zone of Enders 2 - Second Runner´ for PlayStation 2, a sequel to the mech shooting game. Another seven or eight undisclosed titles are said to be in development for several platforms including GameBoy Advance, GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2.
