The embattled Japanese game studio and gambling device maker Konami Digital Entertainment recently announced that it would be placing a heavy focus on mobile games going forward, leading many fans to speculate that this could spell the end for Konami’s long history of making console games. But now, the studio has come out saying that even though it will place a greater importance on mobile gaming, it will still make console games.

“Konami will continue to embrace the challenge of creating entertainment content via different platforms; across not only mobile platforms, but for home consoles, arcade units, and cards, to meet the changing needs of the times,” Jay Boor, Konami’s director of public relations, wrote in a cover letter accompanying a translation of an interview with Konami President Hideki Hayakawa (via GameInformer).

Following Konami’s less than amicable split from acclaimed Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill creator Hideo Kojima, a step back from console gaming may not be a bad idea, especially considering the company’s most profitable game is the mobile-only baseball game, Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu.

“Whereas platforms to date were very limited, we now need to split our approaches between console, arcade, card, and mobile games to best suit the needs of the customer,” Hayakawa said in his interview. “Recently we often hear the term ‘Mobile First,’ and I want to specify that KONAMI’s idea of Mobile First is not at all to focus purely on mobile games. Our aim is to continue to build up a comprehensive portfolio of console, arcade, and card game titles for each IP while also making the best possible use of the mobile devices that accompany our customers in their daily life, thus expanding the limits of entertainment and appealing to more and more customers.”

According to Hayakawa, mobile gaming will be the driving force behind the future growth of the gaming industry, and cross-platform games will become increasingly important.

Hayakawa said, “I believe that individual IPs will be made available across various devices, and so eventually it will become meaningless to categorize the market. The role of the mobile platform will be to connect people with their games across various devices, and so the methods and presentation employed in distributing information on mobile devices will be critical.”

Photo by Doug Kline