Kojima Will Not Be At E3 2011

A few days ago we mentioned that Official PlayStation Magazine UK would be revealing choice excerpts from their interview with Hideo Kojima, creator of the fan-favorite Metal Gear series, over the course of the next few weeks. The quotes lead up to a Kojima-focused issue of the magazine set to debut at the end of the month - with a reveal of the developer's next game, Project Ogre (working title).

Today, we have the first set of excerpts, where Kojima specifically addresses the possibility of a Metal Gear Solid 5 - as well as how involved he'd like to be in the game's day-to-day development.

Speaking with Official PlayStation Magazine UK, Kojima hinted that another direct Metal Gear Solid sequel is basically inevitable - though the franchise creator was hesitant to commit to a specific timeframe:

"I think we’ll probably have to make it at some point, but what that will be, we have no idea”

While some fans were no doubt hoping that Kojima's upcoming game, codenamed Project Ogre, would be another Solid Snake-centric Metal Gear story - given that we still haven't seen much about the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Rising game, it's not too surprising that Metal Gear Solid 5 development is still a ways off. Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, if Kojima announced a new Solid Snake game before Rising releases there's no doubt that it would sap a lot of the energy and anticipation out of a title that Kojima Productions is obviously counting on to help diversify the Metal Gear world.

While Metal Gear Solid games are often critical darlings and massive commercial successes, there's no doubt that many gamers would love to play in Kojima's world - but just can't get into Snake's play style. Another Raiden-centric plot with a heavy emphasis on swordplay is, no doubt, set to deliver a faster pace/action experience in the same Metal Gear universe.

Metal Gear Solid Rising Most Anticipated Games

It's no surprise that Rising is set to deliver a very different gameplay offering - since Kojima isn't directly involved in the title's development. As to whether or not he'd step back into the daily grind for Metal Gear Solid 5, Kojima was equally noncommittal at this point:

"As far as my involvement in the project is concerned, [it] probably won’t be as much as it was with MGS1 — maybe I can do just one stage! For MGS1 I made the maps myself, laid out the enemy routes myself, did everything hands-on — that level I can’t do again.”

Again, since Rising is still in development, it's hard to know what a Kojima-lite Metal Gear project on consoles will look like. Some game fans feel that Kojima has held onto the Metal Gear titles too tightly - and, as a result, suffocated the experiences with a convoluted narrative and inaccessible mechanics. As a result, at this point, it's impossible to say whether or not gamers should be hoping for the series' creator to focus on fresh experiences (like Project Ogre) or re-invest in his flagship franchise (by immersing himself in Metal Gear Solid 5 development).

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We will continue to keep you posted on the status of Metal Gear Solid 5 as more information is released.

Source: Official PlayStation Magazine UK