Topic: Dave Cox leaves Konami

[uzo]

Nagumo's tweet was a drop in the damned bucket compared to anything else she could have said.

I don't know the guy but it sounds like someone had a big head after LoS1's success and couldn't stand being called out on something, even if it was framed in a joke.

He seemed to act like the big shit right from the moment he entered the scene. I, and it seems others too, got the impression like he was walking into a room full of veterans and basically saying "you don't know what Castlevania is, I'm going to show you the right Castlevania". And then he didn't give us what we'd consider as such. Obviously that is a subjective judgement, but it seems to be the majority opinion at least here.

[Nagumo]

I think people care more about that tweet than I do.

[e105beta]

The saddest thing about this thread is just how insignificant this event really is.

Hate Cox if you want, but at least he was a Castlevania fan trying to make the brand relevant again. With him and IGA gone, I don't think Konami is going to be doing anything with the Castlevania license for for awhile, and if they do, it's not going to be the retro-revival people here are desiring.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Konami's actually pretty active this month... though it's all retro retro retro .

[Anglachel]

Konami's actually pretty active this month... though it's all retro retro retro .

I'm curious about this. Perhaps Konami is "testing the waters" to see how retro-Castlevania holds up in the market.

[e105beta]

Konami's actually pretty active this month... though it's all retro retro retro .

Part of me actively dislikes the advent of commercial digital emulation, if just for this reason. I get that it's not a huge drain on resources to release these titles, but when a company hears a small fanbase clamoring for a return to its roots, it seems like they just pop out sloppy ports and emulated re-releases rather than investing in new projects.

Though I guess it's better than nothing :^/

[theANdROId]

I think people care more about that tweet than I do.

I didn't see it, but if all you did was try and make a pointed-joke of it and he blocked you, that seems a bit extreme for a first offense.  I'm no psych, but that action seems to suggest that either he takes his internet security super seriously (or something like that), or he knows he messed up (perhaps even deliberately) and doesn't want to confront the issue.

And maybe...just maybe...Konami took that weird little survey seriously, and we (and enough others) squeaked loud enough that they're checking to see if oil is needed?  One can hope!

[Belmontoya]

In the end I found that I like Cox about as much as I like IGA.

Each 1 has contributed one really amazing game to the CV universe. I don't care what they are like as people because I choose not to follow them socially. It makes absolutely no difference to me if one is a prick and one is not or whatever! I like plenty of artists who are certified douches. So for that reason, I have to say that I'm glad that we had them for a time, but I'm also glad they are both gone.

This state of limbo we're in right now is my favorite thing because the next game could be anything!

Make no doubt that however long it takes, there will be another Castlevania game some day. And it could be the one you've always wanted.

Get excited people.

[Mike Belmont]

This state of limbo we're in right now is my favorite thing because the next game could be anything!

Make no doubt that however long it takes, there will be another Castlevania game some day. And it could be the one you've always wanted.

Get excited people.

Well, I don´t know what to say or think of your words, dood. Yes, sometimes the name is not the main concern in a videogame development. Yes, maybe the fact that we don´t know the future developers for the next Castlevania game will give a lot of expectation when Konami gives the announce. But... I see many franchises changing their direction from what they be in the past. Look at Final Fantasy for example. Personally I don´t like it from XII to present. XV looks amazing, to be sure, but I miss the classic theme, with the epic setting. I like the gameplay from the classic games, too. I can´t conceive Final Fantasy in a modern (or future) setting too. The other example is Mega Man. The series is in a true limbo, but is sadder than Castlevania, because it looks that Capcom has no more interest in the series. The only game that appears is in the new Smash Bros, and is from Nintendo.

So, in short words, yes the name don´t dictate if a game will be great, but it really needs to the team (or programmer) knows and if is possible loves the series. That is one of the reasons that I like IGA as a programmer of Castlevania games.

[Kingshango]

I'd say as hazy as the future of the series is right now, it's in a slightly better place than Mega Man is. Even though most are against the direction Castlevania has gone over the years, at least Konami is trying to keep the series relevant. They could have easily throw the series into the vault along with Suikoden, Goemon, Gradius, Axley, Sunset Heroes, Rocket Knight, Snatcher, Policenauts, Boktai and so many others but Castlevania games were still being made alongside with their other key franchises like Metal Gear, Pro Evo Soccer and Silent Hill. So I feel confident that a new Castlevania is already in the works, be it a 2D game or otherwise. Just when we'll hear about it I do not know, maybe after The Phantom Pain comes out and some dude will leak info of the game out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, Capcom looks like their just about done with Mega Man, or hell just about every other of their series not named Resident Evil, Street Fighter or Monster Hunter because they dont sell 2 million copies.

[Shiroi Koumori]

I'm curious about this. Perhaps Konami is "testing the waters" to see how retro-Castlevania holds up in the market.

Maybe it's a belated response to the IGAvania kickstarter thingy that generated a lot of buzz.... which means, Konami must have been listening.

[Sindra]

Oh hey, I totally missed this.

.......



Better start hoping for some fan games and hacks. That's the best we're going to see for a while, I wager.

Get to it people. Chop chop.

[Munchy]

Who isn't leaving Konami though? They've lost a good amount of people recently. Akira Yamaoka, then Tomm Hullett, then Koji Igarashi...

One of my coworkers used to work there and basically said he's never been treated as poorly by any company as Konami. If this is even the case with higher ups (and considering their reaction to Jim Sterling's criticism, I wouldn't be surprised), then no wonder Cox left too.

Looking back on it though, I think Cox did speak with a good amount of humility. He seemed pretty respectful of praising the older games as well as IGA's work, but always said he wanted to do his own thing. That thing wasn't everyone's cup of tea, much less mine, but I respect him for bringing Castlevania back into the limelight, even if only for a little bit.

[Dremn]

They keep namedropping the series when talking about their big franchises, so I think the IP is still considered a valuable asset to Konami thankfully. It definitely doesn't seem like it's in such a dire situation like Mega Man is.

Konami could very well be asking the same questions we are right now.

They have such great relations with Platinum Games, I would really like to see Kamiya's take on Castlevania. He loves it enough to reference it in TW101.

[Kingshango]

I think Kamiya want's to do his own thing and not the type to do sequels with RE2 being the only exception though. Plus he's busy with Scalebound so by the time that game comes out, a new Castlevania game would at least be announced by then anyway.