Popularity of the machines is waning
Pachinko. The word brings terror to any person’s heart after Konami did well…Konami things… and made it seem like it was the best thing to happen to any Japanese publisher since video games. Don’t worry though, as SNK Playmore has given us reason to believe they might not be as popular as Konami thinks.
In a recentpress statement,King of Fighters’SNK Playmore announced it would be refocusingawayfrom pachinko machines and back onto video games. According to Dream Cancel and my own very dodgy Google translating skills, it is abandoning the pachinko industry altogether.
The statement explains that recently changed regulations regarding the machines in Japan, as well as a declining pachinko player base, has made the future of that industry uncertain. This is all despitesaying in Augustthat it wanted to turn video game players into pachinko fans too. That’s a pretty quick turnaround.
Last month, Sega Sammycut 200 jobsfrom its pachinko division, blaming the change on itsBayonettaandFist of the North Starmachines being a flop.
I tried to think of some sort of “SNK Playmore video games but not pachinko” joke, but nothing was quiteslotting into place.
SNK PlayMore officially withdraws from pachislot business[Dream Cancel]
