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Here it is. That inevitable moment when gamers are either patting themselves on the back or kicking themselves. The Phantom Pain was Metal Gear Solid 5. We'll let that sink in for a moment in case you were the latter.

At the Game Developer's Conference today, it was officially unveiled that the next Metal Gear is indeed the thing people have been speculating about since last year's VGA awards: The Phantom Pain. And by speculating, we mean viciously debating. Hideo Kojima is a bit of a sadist when it comes to his games. He likes to drop bread crumbs and watch gamers scramble to follow them. Today he finally let people in on his secret.

What was revealed is that The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear: Ground Zeroes make up Metal Gear Solid 5. What that means exactly isn't clear. According to Konami and Kojima Productions, this first official trailer provides visual hints that show the connection between them. Metal Gear: Ground Zeroes could be anything from a complete game to a short, downloadable prologue.

As for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, the trailer is long and doesn't explain a lot. What we know is that it shows the fall of Mother Base from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. We also know from the end of the trailer that Big Boss, the bandaged guy, has been in a coma for nine years. Since Peace Walker took place in 1974, we can speculate that Phantom Pain will take place sometime around 1983. Now, don't forget that the original Metal Gear story took place in 1995, even though the game was released in 1987. This leaves a gap of twelve years for things to tie together.

There is also a reference to an organization called Diamond Dogs. Kojima posted some art of Big Boss with a patch of the mysterious group on his arm (shown above). The second mysterious unit shown in the trailer is XOF, which looks like an inverted FOX unit logo. The NegaFOX, as it were. The trailer also shows off the power of the FOX engine, which is gorgeous and in some instances almost photo-realistic. It's hard not to take a moment and stare in awe. What else is in the trailer? Fire! And horses! And fire horses! All set to the soothing melodies of tired early 90s rock band Garbage.

So what did we actually learn from all of this? We learned that The Phantom Pain is Metal Gear Solid 5, Moby Dick Studios was a big, fat lie, the FOX engine makes things look freaking beautiful, and that Hideo Kojima is an incorrigible prankster.

Now that the FOX is out of the bag, more details on Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain are sure to be pouring in, so stay tuned to Game Rant for the skinny on what's next.

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