Metal Gear Solid Could Be Leaving Konami
It sounds like Konami has "solid" plans for its long-running Metal Gear Solid franchise, however, the acclaimed publisher might not be handling development of the next-gen title. Way back in 1987, the legendary Hideo Kojima introduced us to Metal Gear Solid and kickstarted the stealth game genre. All these years later - and with some nine games/multiple spin-offs under its belt - Metal Gear still has an impressive legacy under Konami. All that could be about to change.
Konami faces uncertain times right now, with recent rumours falsely claiming it was shutting down its video game division. Despite the company claiming this wasn't the case, and it was simply facing an internal restructure, the idea of outsourcing one of its biggest IPs is likely to cause concern for some.
Is Metal Gear Solid leaving Konami?
It's important to remember that even if MGS leaves Konami in terms of development, it would undoubtedly still be published by the company. According to Video Game Chronicle and reliable journo Andy Robinson, Konami could be loosening its chokehold on Metal Gear Solid. The news comes from the reveal developer Bloober Team is working on a horror game for "a very famous gaming publisher”. With Bloober Team's work on Layers of Fear and 2019's Blair Witch, sleuths were quick to jump on the idea it would be a long-rumoured return to Silent Hill.
For those struggling to see how Solid Snake plays into all of this, the site claims recent Konami flops like Metal Gear Survive and Contra: Rogue Corps have led to an outsourcing of development. Robinson writes, "In addition to Silent Hill, sources said that Konami also has plans to work on Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid games via external companies, but any potential releases are still years away".
What's going on with Konami and Metal Gear Solid?
It might be hard to imagine the gaming giant handing over the keys to the Konami kingdom, but there have been complaints Konami games just aren't what they used to be. You only have to look at the critical response to the aforementioned Metal Gear Survive in 2018 to see it ain't what it used to be. As so many developers and publishers move their goals to next-gen consoles in terms of remasters, remakes, and new titles, Konami has been deathly quiet. A remastered collection of Silent Hill/Metal Gear Solid games - similar to the 2012's Silent Hill HD Collection and 2011's Metal Gear Solid HD Collection - would be an easy sell and also cue up a true sequel. Hey, if it's good enough for Nintendo with Mario, it should be good enough for Konami
Since Kojima's split from Konami and the formation of Kojima Productions, there have been questioning marks over what happens to the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania. All have slipped into a sort of limbo with no one quite sure what's going on. Alongside reports there's a next-gen Silent Hill for PlayStation 5, others claim multiple Silent Hill projects are being worked on. Is it the same with Metal Gear Solid? Even if news a new Metal Gear Solid could be on the way is great for many, the fact it wouldn't be developed by Konami would mark the end of an era and likely rattle franchise purists.
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