METAL GEAR SOLID V Will be a Long Wait, Says Series Creator

Fans who have been eagerly awaiting the next main installment in the Metal Gear Solid game series who have to keep patient, says series creator Hideo Kojima (Zone of the Enders, Boktai). Apparently, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be a huge game, which means it will take a long time to have it done.

Kojima explained to gaming magazine Famitsu:

The Phantom Pain has enormous volume, so it will require much more time. So, together with the marketing staff, we consulted ‘what ifs’ and such, and came to the decision of allowing fans to at least play the prologue, ahead of time. We want to offer it for as cheap as possible, so at first we thought about making it as a download only; however, after thinking about people around the world, and how some places don’t have the best connectivity, we’re preparing a physical version.

What is this “prologue” he speaks of? He is referring to Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, which was originally going to be part of The Phantom Pain, but due to the enormous size, ended up becoming it’s own game, and Kojima strongly advises that you play Ground Zeroes first.

If I were to put it in Hollywood movie terms, the prologue, that is Ground Zeroes, would be similar to the first 10-15 minutes that are meant to ‘captivate’ [the audience]. At first, something will happen, then the title will appear like ‘bam!’ and then nine years later, a big event will be the start [of Metal Gear Solid V]. That’s how the story will be connected. As far as the game itself goes, The Phantom Pain will take place in an immense open world map, while Ground Zeroes takes place in a smaller open world.

So….yeah, you’ll have to wait, but at least you’ll have Ground Zeroes to play first. Ground Zeroes will be available on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in 2014. I guess the Wii U lost out again…

Source: IGN