Konami rebrands New York office as Konami Cross Media NY Inc

Konami is rebranding its New York office, 4K Media Inc., to Konami Cross Media NY Inc.

It’s thought the rebranding is to move away from 4Kids Entertainment, the company that provided the English dub on the Yu-Gi-Oh anime series before Konami acquired it in 2012. As detailed in a press release (thanks, Gamasutra), the change reflects a new approach to intellectual property rights management for franchises like Bomberman, Contra, Frogger, and Yu-Gi-Oh. Yuta Kose will lead the New York office as president.

Konami has announced a new range of “classics collections” to celebrate its 50th anniversary – Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection, Castlevania Anniversary Collection, and Contra Anniversary Collection. It is also establishing a new Tokyo base for its esports activities which is expected to include not just offices, but also classes, shops, and an esports arena, too. The construction of the Konami Creative Center (KCC Ginza) is hoped to complete in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The brand new premises in Ginza will sit across 12-floors, including an underground one, and boast state-of-the-art sound, video, lighting, and communications systems.

Both revenue and profits are up for Konami, with an 18 per cent lift year-on-year in its “Digital Entertainment” revenues, which now stands at ¥105.8 billion ($971.3 million) across the nine-month period. According to its most recent financial statement, Konami attributes the boost to its mobile and console sports games and esports, confirming an operating profit of ¥39.4 billion ($361.7 million USD) and revenue of ¥192.6 billion ($1.8 billion), up 30.2 per cent and 9 per cent year-on-year respectively.

“In the entertainment market, game contents continue to diversify along with functional enhancement of various devices, including mobile devices and video game consoles, and development of information and telecommunications infrastructure,” stated Konami’s financial report. “In the game industry, efforts are accelerating to offer new experiences through game content in various ways, including eSports, which are regarded as a form of sports competition and are attracting more and more attention.”