During the latest PlayStation Showcase, Konami officially revealed Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. A remake of the third game in the franchise, the upcoming game is going to have unenviable odds to overcome in order to succeed. These obstacles also affected the last game in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Metal Gear Survive.
In 2015, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima departed Konami under a slew of controversy. Details on what exactly happened are fairly consistent, but no one who was directly involved has made an open statement on the matter. Following his departure, Konami's video game output diminished greatly in quantity and quality. The last installment of Kojima's iconic franchise was Metal Gear Survive, which suffered greatly without the gaming auteur at the helm.
The Critical and Financial Response to Metal Gear Survive
Released in 2018, Metal Gear Survive was an online survival game that saw players take on hordes of zombie creatures. A spinoff of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, the game was poorly received and loaded with all kinds of poor design choices. Perhaps the worst aspect of it was its use of bizarre use of microtransactions which took things even further than other publishers ever dared. Most notably, Metal Gear Survive required players to pay for additional saves within the game. Critics did not hold back their negative opinions on it and fans had little interest in the game without Kojima's involvement.
Metal Gear Survive was considered to be one of 2018's most disappointing video games. The game's sales numbers remain undisclosed by Konami, though it's generally agreed that the game failed to meet the company's expectations. The servers for the game were officially shut down in 2022, and it remains an infamous example of a video game company cash grab. This unfortunate baggage and lack of Kojima's involvement is an obstacle that the Metal Gear Solid Delta games will have to overcome.
How Hideo Kojima's Absence Might Affect Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Despite rumors to the contrary, Hideo Kojima will not be involved in the Metal Gear Solid remakes. As mentioned above, Kojima departed Konami under a cloud of controversy but managed to land on his feet later on. The most often cited reason for his departure had to do with the budget and development of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain though details tend to change depending on the source. At the same time, the company was attempting to move into other business ventures which included further development and manufacturing of pachinko machines. Without his involvement, however, the upcoming remake could be dead on arrival.
It's already clear that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will be stuck between a rock and a hard place with fan reception. The game is often cited by fans as the series' best installment and that level of nostalgia will be difficult to overcome. In addition, the game will likely lack the bizarre charm, humor, and depth that can only be found in games that Kojima himself worked on. Fans of the franchise are also still radically loyal to the gaming auteur and asking them to play any Metal Gear Solid game without his name on it may be too much.
Ultimately, the upcoming remake will have a lot of obstacles to overcome if it wants to succeed. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was only just announced and it's not clear when the game will be released. However, it will have to deal with the fact that Hideo Kojima will not be involved, which is something that Metal Gear Survive could not overcome. Only time will tell if the developer is up to the daunting task.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
