While its development has been shrouded in controversy pretty much from the get-go, Metal Gear fans have nevertheless been greatly anticipating the upcoming release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. The wait for the long anticipated open world stealth action title, and possibly the last Metal Gear developed by Hideo Kojima, is nearly over.

The PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One versions of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain have always been scheduled to release on September 1st, 2015, but the PC version was originally delayed by two weeks, set to come on September 15th instead. However, PC gamers will be happy to learn that Konami has reversed this decision, and the PC version will in fact be releasing on September 1st alongside the console versions of the game in just a few weeks time.

In a statement, Konami had this to say about the decision: "We initially did not think it would be possible to get such an epic game out onto PC in time for launch alongside its console counterparts, but all involved have worked diligently to meet the demands of our PC consumers."

In addition, those that pre-order the digital version of the game through Steam on PC will receive a free copy of the "prologue mission" game, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes. Giving away Ground Zeroes for free has been a common theme in the gaming world lately, likely in an attempt to raise interest in The Phantom Pain, as Ground Zeroes was free on PS Plus a couple of months back and is the free Games with Gold title for Xbox One this month.

The initial plan to release the PC version of The Phantom Pain later than the console versions of the game drew the ire of PC gamers, and understandably so. Konami's decision to move the release date to September 1st to coincide with the release of the console versions is definitely good news. That being said, some would probably be okay with getting The Phantom Pain on PC later if it means the game actually functions properly, as PC gamers have recently been burned by bad console ports, such as the disastrous PC version of Batman: Arkham Knight.

While Konami may have resolved this particular controversy surrounding Metal Gear Solid 5 by moving the PC release date up, there's still plenty of issues surrounding the game. A recent report claims that the working environment at Konami is terrible, which may partly explain the abrupt departure and probable firing of Hideo Kojima. The conflict between Kojima and Konami has been evident in Konami removing Kojima's name from Metal Gear Solid 5.

Will you be getting Metal Gear Solid 5 on PC or consoles? Let us know in the comments.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will be available on September 1st for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.