Konami and mobile publisher CocoaChina/Chukong have teamed up to bring the classic side-scrolling shooter series Contra to mobile devices in the form of Contra: Evolution. The game is currently only available on iOS, but an Android version of the game will be released soon. It currently costs only 99 cents on iPhone and $2.99 on iPad.
Contra: Evolution has been available in China for a while, and already has millions of downloads. The release of the game to an international market brings it to places like the US, where the franchise is a video game icon. Unlike the original punishingly difficult game, Evolution features multiple difficulties. The game is also slated to feature controller support when iOS 7 arrives later this year.
Contra isn’t the first classic game to make it to mobile, with Sonic The Hedgehog, Mega Man, and Final Fantasy among big game IP that found their way into App Stores. These classic games tend to follow a classic model of pricing as well though, normally being a one time purchase with no microtransactions involved. Their prices vary, however. Some are relatively cheap, for instance Mega Man 2 going for only 99 cents. Others go for premium pricing, with Final Fantasy III, IV and Tactics priced at $15 each being good examples of the real high end of pricing spectrum.
Konami is keeping a classic alive by bringing Contra: Evolution to mobile. Look for an exclusive interview soon in [a]list daily with John Coligan, Konami director of digital publishing, looking at Konami’s digital and mobile game strategy.
