Konami Delists Itself From New York Stock Exchange

Konami has voluntarily de-listed itself from the New York Stock Exchange, the publisher has confirmed.

The news came just hours after the publisher confirmed that Silent Hills, which was due to be directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro and star Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus, has been cancelled. Konami says the delisting was voluntary, and that it had made the decision in order to save money. The company also noted that 99.71% of the trading of its stock occurred in Japan and London over the course of the last year.

The publisher remains listed on both the London and Tokyo stock exchanges, and shares can still be traded in the U.S. They’ll also continue to share financial statements in english, despite no longer being required to.

The main benefit for Konami is saving money - industry analyst Michael Pachter estimates that U.S. regulatory compliance costs the publisher a minimum of $5 million a year. Konami’s income more than halved last year, with income attributable to the company down 67.2% compared to Fiscal Year 2013. While Metal Gear Solid V‘s release this September is likely to give the company coffers a bit of a boost, the future isn’t looking very clear for the publisher following the high-profile split between themselves and Hideo Kojima.

Last month, Konami removed Hideo Kojima’s name and the Kojima Productions logo from all Metal Gear Solid websites and marketing materials, and there were rumors that all Kojima Productions staff had been placed under a communications lockdown, restricting their ability to access the internet, emails or even use the phone. Both Kojima and Konami stated that Kojima’s role on Metal Gear Solid V would be unaffected, though Konami later stated that it would be hiring new directors for future Metal Gear Solid games.

Then over the weekend, Konami announced that P.T., the playable teaser for Silent Hills, is due to be removed from the PlayStation Store tomorrow. This was then followed by Guillermo del Toro and Norman Reedus saying that the project had been cancelled, ahead of official confirmation yesterday.

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Dale Morgan

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When Dale isn't crying over his keyboard about his never-ending workload, he's playing games - lots of them. Dale has a particular love for RPGs, Roguelikes and Metroidvanias.