Konami? Are You There? Konami?!?! KOOOOONNNNAAMMMMIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!

Konami Gives Its Fans The Ultimate Silent Treatment

The last several months have proven to be catastrophic for fans of the Metal Gear series. There has been a complete cluster-you-know-what inside of Konami studios. First, there were rumors of restructuring with superstar developer Hideo Kojima and his team being fired. Then, the company said Kojima was staying on board until Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain releases.

OK, maybe Kojima needs some fresh air and wants to form up his own studio.

But then, Konami pulled out of the New York Stock Exchange, and that is when things really started to sink in that other plans were in the works. The final dagger came in the announcement that Silent Hills was officially canceled.

Silent Hills … What could have been

Konami was a beloved gaming studio. These are the same guys who put out classic franchises like Metal Gear, Castlevania, Contra, and much, much more. Now, they're turning their backs on the very gamers who helped them become who they are today. I'm not sure what's really happening at Konami, but many sites speculate it wants to focus on its more profitable Japanese market, which includes a hefty margin in pachinko machines. It's a business move, I get it. But the biggest problem I have is how they have been handling the demise of Silent Hills, specifically, P.T.

P.T. is a fantastic game that served as a playable teaser for a new Silent Hill game. This is a franchise that has been shuffling its feet in trying to find an identity since the PS2 days. After word got out that Hideo Kojima AND Guillermo Del Toro were at the helm, and that players would control a character played by 'The Walking Dead's' Norman Reedus, how could you not be hyped for this game?

Hi ... Bye

P.T. will stand the time as one of the best video gaming experiences for anyone who took the time to download this free masterpiece. It all took place in one creepy stretch of hallway that would throw new and terrifying horrors every time you would pass through the last door, only to reappear at the first door again. It was as delightfully thrill-inducing as it was unique, and I was once again excited to head back to the foggy, desolate town of horrors that is Silent Hill.

It was not meant to be.

After Konami officially canceled the game, they later announced P.T. would no longer be available on digital platforms. Players scrambled to download the game before it went away forever. Worse yet, after the April 30th cutoff time, it was revealed that even players who downloaded the game, but didn't have it saved on their hard drive, could no longer access the game. The feeling of rejection was as palpable as that little fetus' chest beating inside the bathroom sink. It felt like Konami wanted to erase any existence of this beautiful "teaser."

As we continue to watch this Konami/Silent Hills nonsense unfold, this is the best analogy I could come up with: It feels like being at a free rock festival where some of your favorite artists were expected to play, but then their managers, for whatever reason, announce to the crowd the bands would not be playing, and then the manager unplugs all the equipment and takes off with the gear.

Big Boss didn't lose his eye, and hand, for nothing

I just find it hard to accept how a company that had major success in console gaming can suddenly leave us all in the dust. I really hope everything that has been happening doesn't affect the final product of Phantom Pain. It would be a shame for Snake's likely swan song to be under these circumstances.

If this is indeed the fate of Konami's gaming era, I'd love to see a THQ-type firesale of Konami IP's. Franchises like Metal Gear and Castlevania are due for an update and reimagining, and they'd probably be better off in someone else's hands, rather than the miserable pile of secrets that is Konami.

Please let there be hope for this franchise