A recent rumor indicates that there is the possibility that both Wayforward and Konami are teaming up to produce a new game in the latter’s classic run-and-gun series: Contra. For the uninitiated, Contra is a classic gaming franchise that first started on the arcade and NES, developed and published by Konami in the late 1980s. It was famous for its run-and-gun gameplay, along with its popularity stemming from its two-player co-operative multiplayer. This series has had a number of games over the years, though it has been left to the wayside alongside other classic Konami IPs like Castlevania. However, it seems like there’s potentially a new game in collaboration with Wayforward Technologies currently in the works.

Wayforward is a rather well-known indie company and publisher in recent times, with the most famous of its properties being the Shantae series of games. However, the developer has also been rather busy these past few years, with several collaborations and projects being published. This includes a full-on remake of Nintendo’s Advance Wars duology, which is finally looking to be released later this April.

According to the LinkedIn profile of former Wayforward employee Glenn Seidel, he was responsible for gameplay development, narrative, and characters for a “historic shooter property” throughout 2020-2021. Alongside that, he was responsible for a number of operations like post-launch live operations such as a leaderboard, a challenge system, and more for an unannounced “AAA shooter of an existing franchise,” that also happens to incorporate four distinct gameplay styles. These styles, according to the profile, include run-and-gun, top-down shooter, shmup, and rail gun. Fans have speculated that these details all fit the arcade-like and multiple gameplay systems of the Contra series.

There is some precedence for this collaboration to take place, as Wayforward and Konami previously worked together on Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS back in 2007. Fans discussing the rumor state that a sequel or a remake would make the most amount of sense, as the details provided perfectly describe Contra due to its very storied history. Some however note the possibility it could also possibly be another collaboration with Nintendo.

The last game in the series was 2019’s Contra: Rogue Corps, which received a very mixed-to-negative reception upon release. With Konami however coming back in the gaming space with a slew of Silent Hill-related projects, Contra could be another series that will make a comeback after that. It could possibly even be a part of the rumored E3 lineup that Konami had before the entire show was canceled. Fans will just have to wait and see if this rumor between Konami and Wayforward ends up panning out.

Source: Famiboards (via Reddit, MyNintendoNews)