In what appears to be an attempt to become less popular than ever, Konami has taken down a fan-made P.T. remake. However, as the developer of the remake explains via a Game Jolt post, there is a silver lining to this situation.
Having spent over 180 hours working on a PC remake of Konami’s demo for the canceled Silent Hills project P.T., a collaboration between Guillermo Del Toro and Hideo Kojima, the developer was recently notified that his project would be taken down by Konami, just as it neared its completion.
Reportedly, staff at Konami did not wish to take down this remake but were legally required to, many within Konami enjoying and appreciating the project. This appears to be true, as the developer has been promised merchandise and games from Konami, and more notably, offered an internship within the company.
Interlinked with this internship is an apparent shift within Konami, this P.T. remake reportedly inspiring staff to return their focus to more legitimate games, with more substance and craft than their recent mobile efforts.
Konami has been the target of much criticism in recent years, with their decisions to cancel P.T., fire Hideo Kojima and cut short his plans for Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain, following up the critically acclaimed entry with the mixed reception of Metal Gear Survive, and setting aside AAA ambitions and instead focussing on mobile games.
The cancellation of this fan project could have been the most recent misstep to draw fans’ ire, but Konami’s handling of the incident and communication and cooperation with the developer is likely to hold them in good stead for fans willing to read into the issue.
With Hideo Kojima blazing a strange, intriguing trail with his upcoming Death Stranding and Konami’s slate empty and reputation in tatters, the future appeared dire for Konami's future as a game developer. With conduct such as this and their supposed shift back to ‘real’ games, perhaps Konami can begin the trek back up towards the pantheon of great and innovative game developers. Likewise, with luck, the P.T. remake’s 17-year-old developer will hopefully go far with the opportunity of this internship.
