In another world, games media types like myself likely would have been in meetings rooms across the LA Convention Center hearing about future projects so we could report back to you. Two years ago, TechRaptor was doing just that when we visited with Konami. I played 15 minutes of the soon to be released Zone of the Enders rerelease while my colleague Sam tried out Hyper Sports R. A revival of a classic arcade property and building on their NES legacy, it seemed like a fine release for a company that doesn't have many of them.
Following that showcase, Konami did not mention another word about the title until today, when they announced that it's no longer in production. Considering how many games get canceled without a public reveal, it's always interesting to see a game debut on the E3 stage and then never show up in the public eye again. The official translated statement released by the publisher doesn't give much insight as to why we'll never get to play Hyper Sports R, but it is nice that they didn't pull an Agent and let it linger on the books forever.
Notice of discontinuation of development of "Hyper Sport R"
Thank you for your continued patronage of our products. The Nintendo Switch version of "Hyper Sport R" has been under development since the title was announced in June 2018, but as a result of repeated examinations, development was discontinued.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to customers and related parties who have been waiting for the release of this title. We look forward to your continued support and products.
Quick Take
Thus ends the saga of Konami's sports revival. The company seems to want to build on its legacy in some capacity in recent years, but none of the efforts have really hit it out the park. At the very least, players who were interested in the title can check out the original game thanks to Hamster's Arcade Archives series. With rumors about Konami having at least one big project in the oven continuing to swirl, here's hoping it doesn't meet a similar fate.
What do you think about the cancellation of Hyper Sports R? Were you interested in it? Let us know in the comments below!
