Today, Konami and Bloober Team have announced that they are joining forces for a strategic partnership.
Besides the psychological horror title The Medium, Bloober Team previously developed horror games Blair Witch, Observer, and Layers of Fear. Konami, of course, is perhaps best known for the Metal Gear, Castlevania, and Yu-Gi-Oh! franchises, but in recent years has slowed down its game output. Instead, the company seemed to focus on its pachinko business.
Of course, Konami is also well-known for Silent Hill, and Akira Yamaoka—who worked on the series as a composer and producer—did the score for The Medium. (Yamaoka joined Grasshopper Manufacture, Goichi Suda’s studio, in 2010.)
[Update: July 1 - 8:30 AM: While Yamaoka composed the score and worked as a producer, Keiichiro Toyama is credited with creating the Silent Hill series. An earlier version of this story listed Yamaoka as the creator.]
“It is a historic day for me and the culmination of several years of our work,” said Bloober Team president Piotr Babieno in an official statement. “The fact that such a renowned company as Konami has decided to strategically cooperate with the Bloober Team means that we also joined the world leaders in gaming and became an equal partner for the leading players in this market.”
According to the press release, both companies will work together to develop game content and exchange know-how.
“We have been providing unique entertainment content and ways to enjoy it through the use of information technology,” said Konami Digital Entertainment president Hideki Hayakawa. “In the digital entertainment industry, significant changes in the business environment are expected in the future. We look forward to combining Bloober Team’s and our respective characteristics and strengths to create high-quality contents [SIC].”
No further details were revealed in the announcement of the partnership.