How 25 years of Yu-Gi-Oh prepared Konami for live service games
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Shortly after Yu-Gi-Oh became a serial anime inspired by the late Kazuki Takahashi's manga, it spurred on an official card game and video game franchise. With each iteration of the animated series, the card game has seen new cards, and the video games have continued in their own way.
Now 25 years later, Konami's digital card game is one of its most popular series. GamesIndustry.biz sat down with senior Konami developers behind the Yu-Gi-Oh games to discuss their commercial success over the years.
During the early 2000s (2000-2005), when the anime was rising in popularity, Konami had a spike of Yu-Gi-Oh title launches across multiple platforms. In just five years, the publisher released over 20 titles globally, games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom and Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel.
Konami Digital Entertainment US senior producer Charles Murakami explains that the release schedule back then was not just a business one. It was to provide fans of the series an option to play the games on their console of choice.
"Usually, the push for more titles came from the fans, especially from those that wanted to try out the latest cards. To have an authentic card game experience, each player needs their own screen for competitive play. Online console multiplayer was still in its infancy in the early 2000s.
"So handheld devices were a natural fit to simulate the physical card game. Home console titles had unique Yu-Gi-Oh games based around the monsters, characters, and themes from the anime instead."
New game releases were also a means to keep up the growing content from both the
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