Konami may have leaked the return of a series that got its start on the PS2 and hasn’t been seen since the PS2, more specifically, since 2004. There was once a time in gaming when Konami was one of the biggest and best players in it. Then it had the infamous falling out with Hideo Kojima and simultaneously pulled back from the industry in favor of focusing on other parts of its business. Slowly but steadily, it’s been returning. It will probably never reach the level and prominence it had at its height, but it’s certainly gaining momentum, predominantly nostalgia-mining its classic IP.
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When you think of Konami IP, your mind probably goes straight to Metal Gear Solid. If not this, Castlevania or perhaps Silent Hill. To this end, its most recent release is a Metal Gear Solid release, which ended up being one of the best releases of August 2026. What you probably don’t think of is Bloody Roar, but that may soon change because it looks like Konami may be reviving it soon.
Forgotten Konami 3D Fighting Series
For those unfamiliar with the series, Bloody Roar is a 3D fighting game series created by Japanese developer Raizing, which would become known as Eighting, and which is primarily a support studio in the modern era. The series debuted in 1997 via arcades and the PS1. A sequel, Bloody Roar 2, followed in 1998, releasing on the same platforms. Then, in 2000, came Bloody Roar 3, which took the series to the PS2. Then, in 2002, the series shed its PlayStation exclusivity and came to Xbox, and eventually Nintendo GameCube, with the release of Bloody Roar Extreme. Then the series concluded in 2003 with the PS2 exclusive Bloody Roar 4. Since then, it’s been dormant. That said, Konami itself didn’t even get its hands on it until 2012, when it merged with Hudson Soft, which owned it and published it throughout its entire run. To this end, Konami hasn’t done anything with the IP.
It’s hard to imagine Bloody Roar — which never typically reviewed very well or sold very well — coming back, but YouTuber JeriTheOG did notice something interesting involving the IP. More precisely, the YouTuber discovered that Konami renewed its trademark for the IP. Now, trademark renewals aren’t super noteworthy, but they are worth noticing. Konami has to demonstrate it’s using the IP in order to retain it. The problem is the bar for what qualifies as use isn’t high. Still, the update has fans of the long-dormant series hopeful.
Speaking of old games and Konami, just last month the Japanese developer and publisher brought a 39-year-old release for the first time ever on all modern console platforms.
