Following our massive information blowout on Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, based on Game Informer’s latest preview on the same, director Hideo Kojima has clarified the game’s apparent 2 hour clear time on Twitter.
“MGSV Ground Zeroes includes the main mission alongside 5 Side Ops. All missions include elements such as ‘Trial Records’, where players can compete against each other online. This is not a linear game like the past. GZ offers freedom of approach and play style, which we hope players will enjoy over and over without boring [themselves].
“I believe people will be satisfied with the ‘Play Time’ of Ground Zeroes and will not stress the ‘Clear Time’, which is a standard for linear games.”
It’s already been established that the clear time applies to the main story mission alone and neither includes the side missions or the platform-exclusive content. We’ll have to wait and see for ourselves then when Ground Zeroes releases March 18th for North America and March 20th in Europe for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4.