Renegade Kid is known in the horror genre for Dementium: The Ward. Interestingly enough, that game was originally pitched as a potential Silent Hill title for DS.
On Twitter earlier today, Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham said:

Little known fact: We pitched "The Ward" to Konami in 2007 as something that could have become a Silent Hill DS game.
— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) April 27, 2015

Watsham also told IGN:

Our goal was always to release The Ward as an original game, but we were also open to the idea of turning it into a licensed horror game and approached Konami to see if they wanted to work together to mold it into a Silent Hill game for the Nintendo DS.
They were kind enough to meet with us, but the meeting only lasted a few minutes and ended with their [representative] saying they wouldn’t let a team like us handle the Silent Hill license.

That was Renegade Kid’s first pitch in 2007. The studio reached out to Konami again a few years later, with a new pitch based on the Dementium II engine. Sadly, Konami still wasn’t open to the idea.
“Konami’s response that time wasn’t dismissive like the first time,” Watsham mentioned to IGN. “They simply didn’t want to venture into the DS space with a horror title at that time.”
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Konami says production of LovePlus and Tokimeki Memorial will continue

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

It was recently revealed that Akari Uchida and Mino Taro have left Konami. Both staffers played a significant role in the creation of the LovePlus and Tokimeki Memorial titles.

Konami followed up with an official notice today, and said that the LovePlus series will continue despite the departure of Uchida and Taro. The full message reads:

Thank you for your continued interest in our product line.
Given the resignations of Akari Uchida and Mino Taro as staff members who were formerly in charge of production on the Love Plus and Tokimeki Memorial franchises, we are aware of everyone’s concerns about the future of both franchises.
Love Plus and Tokimeki Memorial are both series of games that are deeply important to us and have earned your love and adoration for many years and as such, production of them will continue unabated and it is our sincere hope that you will likewise maintain your enduring support moving forward.
If there are still any remaining points that you wish to see clarified, you may reach us at our customer service line.

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LovePlus producer and character designer leave Konami

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Two primary staffers from the LovePlus series have announced their resignation from the company. Senior producer Akari Uchida as well as character designer Mino Taro have moved on.

Uchida said of his departure:

“I still don’t know yet, but I’d like to keep up the pace and continue doing what I can do. …it was when a fan told me ‘thank you!’ while clenching my hand in tears. In the end, it was the my best decision after thinking about what I can do for such fans from this point on.”
“Now that I have all the time to think about the unlimited things I can do, [the thoughts] of hopes and uncertainty has me jumping up and down like a child. I’d like to have an opportunity to be able to make something together with you all, so when that time comes, please lend me your strength. Let’s cause a commotion together, again!”

Mino Taro also said:

“I have nothing but the deepest feelings for the titles I’ve worked on. In the midst of working in rough conditions as a video game creator, there was a lot I thought about, but I’ve come to my decision after thinking about the last opportunity of being able to do things I wasn’t able to with Konami.”

Since “Mino Taro” was part of Konami, he intends to work under the new freelancer pen name “Minoboshi Taro” to signify the new start.

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