Konami facts for kids
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Headquarters in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo
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Native name
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コナミグループ株式会社
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Romanized name
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Konami Gurūpu kabushiki-gaisha |
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Formerly
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| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=JP3300200007 JP3300200007] |
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| Founded | 21 March 1969 |
| Founder | Kagemasa Kōzuki |
| Headquarters |
Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | List of Konami games |
| Revenue |  ¥ 262.8 billion (2020) |
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Operating income
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 ¥ 31 billion (2020) |
| ¥ 19.9 billion (2020) |
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| Owner | Kozuki family (29%) |
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Number of employees
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Konami (total) 8,941 (2022) Konami Digital Entertainment 1,874 (2022) Konami Amusement 872 (2022) Konami Sports 4,748 (2022) |
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Konami Group Corporation (Japanese: コナミグループ株式会社, Hepburn: Konami Gurūpu kabushiki-gaisha), often called Konami, is a big Japanese company. It makes video games, trading cards, and arcade machines. Konami also runs health clubs and casinos around the world. Its main office is in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan.
Konami is famous for many video game series like Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Contra, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. They also own Bemani, which makes popular music games like Dance Dance Revolution. Konami also owns games from Hudson Soft, like Bomberman. The company also publishes the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, which is the best-selling trading card game ever.
Konami started in 1969. It was a small business that rented and fixed jukeboxes in Toyonaka, Japan. Kagemasa Kōzuki started the company and is still its chairman. The name Konami comes from the first letters of the names of three people who helped start the company: Kagemasa Kōzuki, Yoshinobu Nakama, and Tatsuo Miyasako.
Contents
Konami's Story: From Jukeboxes to Games
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Konami started on March 21, 1969. It became an official company on March 19, 1973, called Konami Industry Co., Ltd. The founder, Kagemasa Kōzuki, first ran a business that rented and fixed jukeboxes. Later, he changed it to make machines for video arcades.
Konami released its first coin-operated video game in 1978. The next year, they started selling their products in the United States.
Early Arcade Successes
Konami became very successful with arcade games in the early 1980s. Some of their first big hits were Scramble (1981), Frogger (1981), Super Cobra (1981), and Track & Field (1983). Many of these early games were sold by other companies in the U.S.
In November 1982, Konami opened its own office in the U.S. This office was first in California. Later, it moved to Illinois.
Moving into Home Gaming
Around this time, Konami also started making video games for home consoles. They released games for the Atari 2600 in 1982. In 1983, they made many games for the MSX home computer. Then, in 1985, they started making games for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Many of Konami's famous game series began during this time. These include Gradius, Castlevania, Contra, and Metal Gear. They also had great success with licensed games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Because of their popular arcade and NES games, Konami's earnings grew a lot. The first TMNT arcade game (1989) was Konami's biggest arcade hit.
Growing and Changing Headquarters
In June 1991, Konami changed its official name to Konami Co., Ltd. Its main office moved to Minato, Tokyo in April 1993. During this period, the company started making games for 16-bit video game consoles. These included the Super NES in 1990, the PC Engine in 1991, and the Sega Genesis in 1992.
New Game Series and Trading Cards
After the Sega Saturn and PlayStation came out in 1994, Konami created different game development teams. These teams made new game series. For example, one team created the Silent Hill series. Another team, Kojima Productions, made the Metal Gear Solid series.
In 1997, Konami started making rhythm games for arcades under the Bemani brand. They also entered the collectible card game business with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. Konami also became known for its pachinko machines, which are popular in Japan.
Expanding Beyond Games
In July 2000, Konami changed its English name to Konami Corporation. As the company made games for newer consoles, it also started a health and fitness business. They bought other companies that ran sports clubs.
In 2001, Konami invested in another game company called Hudson Soft. Hudson Soft became part of Konami in 2012. This added more popular game series to Konami, such as Bomberman, Adventure Island, and Bloody Roar.
In March 2006, Konami brought all its video game development teams together into a new company called Konami Digital Entertainment Co. The main Konami company became a "holding company," which means it owns other companies.
Focusing on Mobile and Esports
In April 2015, Konami stopped being listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company announced it would focus more on mobile games. They believed that "mobile is where the future of gaming lies."
In 2017, Konami said they would bring back some of their other well-known video game titles. This came after the success of Super Bomberman R for the Nintendo Switch.
In early 2020, Konami moved its headquarters to the Ginza area of Tokyo. This new building has a special area for esports events and even a school for esports players.
In January 2021, Konami Digital Entertainment changed how its game development teams were organized. This was an internal change and did not affect their commitment to making video games. In July 2022, Konami changed its corporate name again to Konami Group Corporation.
In April 2023, Konami opened a new studio in Osaka, Japan. This new office will help the company grow and create games for many years to come.
In February 2024, Konami Digital Entertainment announced its own anime studio called Konami Animation. This studio will use technology from game development to make animated shows. It plans to work on Konami's own stories and other projects too. Its first work was a video for the Yu-Gi-Oh! 25th anniversary.
What Konami Does Today
Konami Group Corporation is the main company that owns many smaller companies.
Konami Digital Entertainment
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Native name
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株式会社コナミデジタルエンタテインメント
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| Industry | Video games Publishing |
| Founded | March 31, 2006 |
| Headquarters |
Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo
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| Parent | Konami |
| Subsidiaries | Konami Animation Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH Konami Digital Entertainment Limited KME Co., Ltd |
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. is Konami's main division for making and publishing video games. It was founded on March 31, 2006. This part of Konami focuses on creating all the games you know and love.
Game Development Teams
- Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.: This is the team for North America.
- Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH: This team handles Europe.
- Konami Digital Entertainment Limited: This team is for Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.
- KME Co., Ltd: This is Konami's music division.
- Konami Animation: This is the new anime studio.
Game Technology
Konami uses special technology to make its games. One important technology they developed is called the Fox Engine.
Popular Konami Video Games
Konami has made many famous video games. Here are some of their major series:
- Castlevania: An action series where you fight vampires and monsters.
- Silent Hill: A scary survival horror series.
- Contra: A fast-paced action shooter.
- Metal Gear: A stealth action series where you sneak past enemies.
- Suikoden: A role-playing game series.
- Bemani rhythm games: These include popular music games like Dance Dance Revolution, Beatmania IIDX, and Pop'n Music.
- Tokimeki Memorial: A dating simulation series.
- Pro Evolution Soccer (now eFootball): A popular football (soccer) simulation game.
Konami also made many classic shoot 'em up arcade games like Gradius, Time Pilot, and TwinBee.
They have also made games based on popular cartoons and movies. These include games based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Simpsons, and X-Men.
Konami is also known for a special code called the Konami Code. This code often gives players extra power-ups or lives in their games.
Konami in Movies
In 2006, Konami started making movies based on their games. They produced the Silent Hill film in 2006. They also announced plans for a Metal Gear Solid film. In 2020, it was reported that Oscar Isaac will play Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid movie.
Gaming Computers for Players
In 2020, Konami launched a brand in Japan called Arespear. This brand sells computers, keyboards, and headsets made for PC gaming. The headsets were even designed with help from Konami's music game creators.
Images for kids
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Konami Digital Entertainment's North American headquarters in Hawthorne, California
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Konami Digital Entertainment booth at Taipei Game Show 2017
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Konami Sports Club in Toyohashi. Konami Sports & Life runs fitness clubs across Japan.
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Konami America booth at E3 2006
