If you enjoy console video games, Konami is a company that should require no introduction. The company is one of the biggest video game developers in Japan and has released many genre-defining games, such as Contra, Gradient, Metal Gear Solid or Silent Hill.
However, what most video game enthusiasts don’t know is the fact that the poor performance of the arcade sector in general forced Konami to diversify and start developing slot machines for the US market. Quite obviously, the situation in the video game industry changed quite a lot since then, but that didn’t stop Konami from manufacturing some rather amazing five reel video slots.
Konami Online and Land-based Slots
Konami is known for making excellent arcade cabinets for their video games, so it should come as no surprise that the slots designed by this company are available in both online and land-based casinos.
Please note that when it comes to online play, many Konami slots are available in a browser-based format, which means that they require no download and can be launched even if you don’t have any casino software installed on your computer.
Games of this kind are also fairly mobile-friendly and should be compatible with a wide range of modern smartphones and tablets.
Konami Slot Game Reviews
As you’d expect from casino games developed by a company with such a strong video game background, Konami slots boast amazing visuals and impressive sound effects. The gameplay is smooth and matches the unique theme of each game, especially when it comes to bonus rounds.
Konami is known for releasing several branded slot games and holds the rights to the Rocky franchise. This means that every single Rocky slot available on the market has been actually designed by Konami.
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Reception by Players
Konami slots may be considered popular and unpopular at the same time. The games attract plenty of players thanks to their top notch production values and gameplay, but most of the people that play them aren’t even aware that they’ve been designed by one of the largest video game companies in the world.
Many gamblers are familiar with Konami slots and enjoy playing them, but they simply don’t take the effort to actively seek out other casino games produced by this Japanese gaming powerhouse.
Most Popular Konami Slot Machines
Aside from the aforementioned Rocky series, the most popular Konami slots include China Shores, Action Staked Sevens, Chip City, Clairvoyant Cat, Danger Inc. and Ancient Dragon. African Diamond is also an exceptionally popular slot among high-rollers, as it can be configured to allow playing for 1500 credits per spin.
This particular game has a cool free spin bonus round, which allows you to win up to 25 free games with a double payout. Needless to say, scoring such a win while playing with the maximum bet settings is guaranteed to result in an absolutely massive payout.
Company History
Konami was established by KagamasaKouzuki, YoshinobuNakama and Tatsuo Miyasako in Osaka, Japan in 1969. The name of the company meant “little waves”, but was derived from the names of its founders. Konami used to be a jukebox rental, but moved on to designing video games in 1973. The first successes came in the eighties with the release of Frogger, Super Cobra and Scramble.
In 1978, Konami started establishing strong ties to US game developers, which allowed the company to design games that would sell well on the American market. The release of Contra, Castlevania, Metal Gear and Gradius solidified Konami’s position as a leading video game developer, especially in the home game consoles sector.
The company continued expanding throughout the eighties and the nineties and opened new offices in the United States and Europe.The first Konami slots were produced in 2005, after the company acquired Hudson Soft and opened a gaming production facility in Paradise, Nevada. Konami’s casino gaming division currently has additional offices in California and Australia.
Outlook and Latest Developments
The past few years weren’t all that great for Konami, particularly in the video game business. The company was forced to cancel the latest Silent Hill video games in 2015 and had to delist itself from the New York stock exchange.
Furthermore, Konami’s net income was down ¥ 12,170 million between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014. On a brighter note, the company managed to sign a content deal with PlayStudios and MGM Gambling in 2014. This allowed the US companies to access Konami Gaming’s social gambling app named myVegas.
All things considered, while Konami isn’t going to disappear from the market anytime soon, it would be highly unlikely for its casino division to be as active as in the mid noughties. As far as casino games are concerned, Konami is probably going to stick to social gambling until its financial difficulties are sorted out.
