Viral marketing is nothing new, especially when it comes to advertising video games in the Information Age. Myriad versions of the promotional style has been utilized in the gaming industry, such as Grand Theft Auto 5's viral marketing campaign that focused on the open-world title's parody of Scientology known as the Epsilon cult, and more recently the development team Ready at Dawn's viral video ads for The Order: 1886 featuring fake news footage covering the discovery of Lycan – or werewolf – skeletal remains.

Prior to working on Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Production's even tried its hand at some viral marketing of its own with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance by releasing “classified” videos that explain the protagonist Raiden's secret past. Now, the studio behind the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain should be pleased as punch to know that the forthcoming installment in the renowned stealth-action franchise is getting even more exposure before its release with a Metal Gear themed restaurant being open in Paris.

Dubbed “Metal Gear Café”, the eatery offers up several different dishes inspired by characters and ideas from the game, such as the “Salade Quiet”, “Le Big Boss Burger” (which may very well be served as bloody as Big Boss himself should folks desire it) – “Hot Diamond Dogs”, and a dessert called the “Duo de la Mother Base”. There are even two cocktails – one alcoholic and the other served virgin – named “Le Phantom” and “Le Ocelot”.

Metal Gear Solid 5 Restaurant Dessert

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“Metal Gear Café” will only remain open until Metal Gear Solid 5 officially releases on the first of September, so should fans of the title find themselves in Paris before then, it could be worth their while to check out the bistro. After all, as seen in the above gallery, even for a restaurant founded on a gimmick, the food doesn't look half bad.

At any rate, excitement for The Phantom Pain has practically reached a fever pitch, especially with early reviews being extremely positive, as critics are lavishing the game with effusive praise. This should come as great news for long-time fans of the espionage-driven franchise who were initially worried about the release's quality after Hideo Kojima and Konami's split during its development.

Although Kojima-san will be completely done with the Metal Gear series once MGS 5 goes on sale, the days ahead are still bright for both the game designer and his fans, as he has declared that his future plans involve him creating for the rest of his life. We could possibly see him take leave from the world of action-based titles and delve into the horror genre, picking up where he left off with the promising Silent Hills project being cancelled. Or maybe, he might become inspired by the Metal Gear themed diner and depart from the gaming industry altogether so as to showcase some secret culinary skills with a restaurant all his own. Stranger things have happened.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is set to release on September 1, 2015 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: Konami France (via Kotaku)