Konami games boss promoted from EVP to president

By Brenna Hillier

Konami Digital Entertainment executive vice president Tomohiro Uesugi has been promoted to president.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the head of our talented and passionate employees, and I have a deep respect for our community of fans,” Uesugi said in a statement published on Gamasutra.

“We will focus on our talent and iconic brands as we continue to provide innovative products for even deeper and more enjoyable experiences to our customers.”

Konami Digital Entertainment is the US-based video games development and publishing arm of Konami Japan; the company has significant business interest outside games, including health clubs and pachinko.

If you’re having one of this brain drain days, Konami is the publisher behind Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Dance Dance Revolution, Pro Evolution Soccer, Contra and Gradius, among many others. Uesugi, who joined Konami as Digital Entertainment EVP in 2013, will replace current president Tomoyuki Tsuboi, who is returning to Japan to join Konami’s financial division.

The executive shuffle follows hot on the heels of the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, which has met with mixed reviews and ignited a scandal about MercurySteam’s studio management. MercurySteam boss Enric Alvarez has said critics awarding low scores must be “blind or stupid”, which is certainly a, uh, reaction.

Konami has not issued any public statement regarding Lords of Shadow 2’s reception – but before you form too many theories, it’s worth noting that the Digital Entertainment arm had a very nasty third quarter, something Konami HQ is probably far more worried about than a fuss in western specialist press.