Konami to Publish New Scottish Shooter

The infamous games publisher Konami is set to become the new flower of Scotland. Responsible for a variety of legendary franchises, including Castlevania and Metal Gear, they have announced it will publish Cygni: All Guns Blazing. How is this related to Scotland though, I hear you ask? Well it appears the new arcade-style shoot-em up is being developed in Scotland by new studio KeelWorks. How exciting.

Based in Edinburgh, the KeelWorks website states they intend to “create high quality and fun entertainment experiences with specific focus on video games, high-end 3D animation, visual-effects, and music composition”. Previously, their founders have produced work across film and animation, with game director Nareg Kalenderian even having worked at Pixar. It wasn’t on Brave by any chance?

It should be noted that this experience will be particularly important as the game intends to be a “twin-stick vertical scrolling shooter hyped with cinematic flare”. Konami’s other franchises have given us some spectacular moments, and without a doubt we’re sure Cygni will deliver too. Check out the intro trailer down below:

Konami and KeelWorks: The New Deadly Duo?

Could this be the start of a special relationship? Founder and CEO at Keelworks LTD, Meher Kalenderian, certainly seems to think so.

“As a small indie company, KeelWorks was in need of an investment to grow its team and dedicate its full attention and time to the development of its first venture, Cygni. Of all the publishers we spoke to, our communication with Konami was different from the start and it stood out among the rest. With a long and wide-ranging history of work on classic shmups, Konami immediately recognised the direction in which Cygni was heading and decided to bet on its potential outcome.”

What Is Cygni: All Guns Blazing Actually About?

From what we’ve heard, the game is undoubtedly going to be a blast. It is described on Steam as being “An unrelenting onslaught of eye-popping visuals, ear bursting soundscapes and mind-melting action makes Cygni the vanguard for the next generation of shoot-em ups. Outgunned, outmanned and out on your own, plunge into a sky full of hell in a last-ditch battle for survival.” If that hasn’t got you intrigued by now, I don’t know what will.

Keelworks will be hoping Konami’s name will hope them get similar sales to their other franchises. The main games in the Metal Gear Solid series have consistently got over 6 million sales worldwide. Moreover, Castlevania: Lord of Shadows also managed to rack up an impressive 1.77 million sales. If Cyngi: All Guns Blazing can get anywhere near these figures both companies will be extremely happy.

Cygni is set to be released on PC in 2023, and the official website does note that the team will “consider other platforms in the future”. Announced last year, it’s clearly been in development for sometime. As Konami already have an action-packed 2022 lined up, we’re excited to see what the publishers will unfold. Make sure to pick up some awesome Metal Gear Solid figures here by the way!