We have a new set of rumors about Konami games, that we can’t help but feel is connected to the Microsoft Activision deal. We’re sure some of you will feel the same way too.
This all starts with Nick Shpeshal, who revealed in his podcast a new rumor that Sony is set to announce a Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake. This remake will have ‘some sort of exclusivity attached to it’, suggesting that it is not going to become a full exclusive. It may be exclusive to console but can be released on PC. Alternately, it could be a timed exclusive.
What makes everything even more interesting is a follow up to this from Jez Corden of Windows Central. In response to a question linking to this rumor, he tweeted:
“Not sure on that. Just heard Sony landed a deal with Konami for Silent Hill, Metal Gear, and maybe even a new Castlevania.“
What Jez said he wasn’t sure on was if Bluepoint Games was working on the remake. If Bluepoint Games was the developer, it could be a hint, though not a confirmation, that these games would be exclusive to PlayStation.
Bluepoint Games, on the side, is the studio Sony taps on to make the PC ports of their first party games, under PlayStation Studios. Famously or infamously, Bluepoint Games was not tasked with the PC port of The Last of Us Part 1. As of this writing, that PC port from original developer Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy Studios is still awaiting patches to bring it to a fully playable state, at the same level as other PlayStation Studios ports to PC.
But the other big story here is one that even non gamers have been talking about. Various US senators and congresspeople have been inquiring about the exclusivity clauses that Sony adds to games made by third parties.
While the industry is used to these exclusivity deals for new properties as well as legacy games, this has raised alarms in the US government fairly recently, but that isn’t because they only found out now.
It’s because US and Japan very recently signed a new digital trade agreement, in light of international politics involving trade and technology. One of the clauses in that trade agreement may have already made it illegal for US and Japanese companies alike to “accord less favorable treatment to a digital product created, produced, published, contracted for, commissioned, or first made available on commercial terms in the territory of the other Party.”
As Sony likely was already working on this deal for months, they couldn’t have reasonably been expected to cancel it just as all this pressure from Washington started coming in.
But then, who knows? In a few months time, after Sony and Konami announced these titles, they may be forced to make these titles available on Xbox and Nintendo platforms too. At least here and now, Sony fans have some new games to look forward to.
