Konami opens new studio in Osaka as it celebrates 50th birthday

Silent Hill publisher Konami has opened a new studio in Osaka, Japan, to provide “sustainable growth” for the 50-year-old company.

The company’s newest branch has been named Konami Osaka Studio, and a press release from Komani has shared that it is equipped with motion capture equipment and sound studios.

Konami explained that Osaka Studio will help it “continue sustainable growth in the next 50 years,” following the company celebrating its 50th birthday in March.

Elsewhere, construction continues on Konami’s “next-generation R&D centre” in Tokyo, which is scheduled to complete in 2025.

In the same press release, Konami also announced that it has “substantially” raised the company’s base salary level. This means an average increase of 50,000JPY (£303) per employee, while the base salary for new starters will be increased by the same amount.

“We have taken various steps to promote management emphasized on human capital, improve employee engagement, and enhance its competitiveness,” shared Konami.

Over the last year, a number of Japanese game publishers have issued pay rises for its workers.

Back in February, Sega announced a 30 per cent pay increase for all workers, which will kick in from July 2023.

In the same month, Nintendo confirmed it would be giving its employees a 10 per cent pay rise. At the time, company president Shutaro Furukawa said “it’s important for our long-term growth to secure our workforce” (via GamesIndustry.biz).

Back in 2022, Koei Tecmo and Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco announced similar pay increases for its staff.

Elsewhere, a Konami-published remake of Silent Hill 2 is on the way. Developed by Bloober Team, the remake does not currently have a release date — though it’s only one of several Silent Hill games in the works.

Back in January, Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto shared that he wants “creators from around the world” to pitch Konami more games in the horror franchise.