I hate to contribute more negativity, but this does worry me. Taito was swallowed by Square Enix. Hudson is now wholly engulfed by Konami. It's true that Hudson (Japan, US, doesn't matter) was really not participating in the market in a quality fashion, but will Konami steward the titles and legacy any better? Konami's managed to survive, but they haven't exactly been responsive to US gamers either, and their output has been hit and miss as well. Capcom is probably the company doing best out of all the non-Nintendo Japanese publishers and they're one of the few properly extending their classic franchises into a new era.
I feel for the Hudson Entertainment employees. From the blog post it sounds like there was a lot of uphill battling, which is, frankly, what often happens when you're the US branch of a Japanese firm. There's a bigger question here, though. I read a recent article in the NY Times about how Japanese youth, recent college graduates and workers in their 20s and 30s, are being basically given short shrift by the big corporations. Japan is top-heavy age-wise, and they societal elders are relying on tradition and power to keep themselves in that position. Good jobs, good pay, and any kind of power and influence are being kept from the dwindling youth, the ones who have the ability to change Japan's situation. I think the fall of Japanese game devs is just a larger symptom. Japan has lost a lot of its fire. Samsung is the new Sony. Hyundai/Kia are the new Honda and Nissan. And Taito and Hudson are, effectively, gone, with more gone before and more to follow.
Let's keep our hopes up that Konami realized what it has and is willing to explore the commercial potential of it's much expanded library. Let's also hope that Konami pays attention to western gamers, lest it be snapped up by an even bigger fish.
