When thinking of big-name brands in the PC Gaming market, usually you’d come up with MSI, Acer, Razer, and Corsair. These are established companies in the desktop/laptop scene, and it’s very rare for other studios/developers to try and make their own mark in this already crowded party. Apparently, video game developer/publisher Konami seems to think that they can flourish in this endeavor. According to Japanese website PC Watch, and followed up by PC Gamer, the company is officially entering the PC Gaming desktop scene and has even started accepting pre-orders for what appears to be their brand new computer, dubbed the Arespear.
Konami will be offering three different models of the Arespear, each one with varying degrees of power and accessibility. The entry-level is built with an Intel i5-9400F CPU, an Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage and will cost 184,800 yen, roughly $1,700. The intermediate level, also known as the C700, has an Intel i7-9700 which is water-cooled, an Nvidia RTX 2070 Super, 16GB of RAM, and additional 1TB of hard drive space. This one will cost 316,800 yen, or $3,000. The final one, the high-level build, comes with everything the c700 has but with a side panel that is transparent, and RGB lighting, which will cost 338,800 yen, or $3,200. It’s currently unknown if Konami plans to bring these PCs to other regions outside of Japan.
According to the website, Konami will also be offering additional accessories such as gaming keyboards and headphones. It’s also important to note that these PCs are being developed by just one section of the company, Konami Amusement. You might be familiar with this division as they are the same ones who created the company’s Pachinko machines which are also based off of their famous video game IPs such as Castlevania, and Silent Hill. They’ve also created slot machines, crane machines, and other assortments of arcade styles games across Japan.
Ever since the very public breakup with Hideo Kojima during the final development days of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Konami has done little in terms of actual video game development. It also doesn’t help that the company announced in the very same year that they would be shifting their main focus away from AAA titles, instead moving forward with both mobile titles and the aforementioned Pachinko machines. They have brought back some classics for modern systems such as the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, and developed newer titles such as Pro Evolution Soccer and the poorly received Metal Gear Survive, but haven’t amounted to much more than that.
Quite frankly, it’s not all that surprising to see Konami try out some new things. They clearly want to branch out and try other things besides new video game IP’s, and for the most part, it’s been working out just fine for them. Let’s also not forget that Konami also holds the rights, produces, and sells every single YUGIOH! trading card in the entire world, which in an of itself has generated an insane amount of money. This led the company to create the video game spin-offs, such as the extremely successful YUGIOH! Duel Links which amassed more than $2 billion in sales in 2017.