What Is Konami? The Company Behind Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, Explained by Marine

Article

Before Metal Gear or Silent Hill existed, Konami was simply an arcade amusement machine manufacturer.

From Arcade Machines to Global Franchises

Konami was established in 1973 as an amusement machine manufacturer for arcades. It has since grown into the publisher behind major global franchises including Metal Gear (66.1M units sold), Silent Hill (17.1M units), Castlevania, Contra, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.

Active Across Horror and Cards Alike

"Silent Hill f" (September 25, 2025) surpassed 2 million units shipped. "METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol. 2" releases August 27, 2026. A new "Silent Hill: Townfall" trailer debuted at gamescom 2026's Opening Night Live.

What To Know

Konami's origin as an arcade amusement machine manufacturer, decades before Metal Gear or Silent Hill existed, is a useful reminder that many of Japan's biggest narrative-driven game publishers began in the much more mechanical, hardware-focused arcade business.

Konami maintaining active support across both cutting-edge horror titles (Silent Hill f) and decades-old physical card game formats (Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG) simultaneously reflects a business strategy of balancing legacy analog products with modern digital releases.

What Fans Are Saying

• "Konami starting as an arcade machine company is a fun bit of trivia."
• "66 million Metal Gear units is a huge number."
• "Glad to see Silent Hill getting continued support."

Original Japanese

• 「コナミがアーケード機器の会社から始まったというのは面白い豆知識ですね」
• 「メタルギア累計6610万本というのはすごい数字です」
• 「サイレントヒルが引き続きサポートされているのは嬉しいです」

Easy Japanese

「コナミ」は、1973年に創業した日本のゲーム企業です。メタルギアやサイレントヒル、遊戯王などを作っています。