Noriaki Okamura, Metal Gear series producer at Konami, was asked in a recent interview with Famitsu if the company intends to remake any other titles in the beloved franchise, and though he gave the expected answer of being focused on the upcoming release and waiting for feedback from fans, that isn’t all he said. Okamura went on to touch on potential, hypothetical remakes of earlier instalments – such as the original Metal Gear 1 and 2, or the original Metal Gear Solid – saying that they would require significant changes in gameplay and design compared to MGS 3.

“For the time being, I think we should think about it after we finish making this work. For example, if we were to create a new remake of the original Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear 1 and 2, there would inevitably be some aspects that would not work with the same methodology as MGS Delta, including the redesign of the level design. As a result, there are many parts that have to be created anew.

“So, we wondered if we could make the next Metal Gear series, and how far we could go. I would like everyone to play MGS Delta, understand their opinions, and then move on.”

Okamura did go on to add, however, that with the number of original Metal Gear staff dwindling in the current Konami team, the company is going to focus on paving a proper future for the franchise.

“The number of staff who worked with the original staff has decreased considerably,” he said. “Before anyone else is gone, we will create a path to preserve the Metal Gear series for the next 10 or 50 years. I think this is something we have to do.”

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It doesn’t yet have a release date.

Previously, the Japanese publisher confirmed that the first three Metal Gear Solid titles will be included in the collection, and further details on its contents have now also been revealed. Courtesy of the collection’s PlayStation Store page, it’s been confirmed that for Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Konami is bringing back their PS3/Xbox 360 remastered versions from the HD Collection, which came out in 2011.

Additionally, the company has also confirmed that the series’ original two games that released for the MSX, Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, will also be included in Master Collection Vol. 1.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is due out this Autumn. It will release with both digital and physical versions.

For instance, take the original Metal Gear Solid. Now two and a half decades old, MGS1 remains one of the greatest games ever made, and in spite of its age, going back to it to play it in today’s day and age is still a hell of a lot of fun. But it’s also the sort of game that would benefit massively from a big budget remake in the hands of a capable developer. The most obvious reason for that is the the massive visual and technological leap that a hypothetical MGS1 remake would take over the original, to the point where it would almost feel like a new game, much like Resident Evil 2 and its 2019 remake.

One would imagine that a modern Metal Gear Solid remake would also make plenty of changes on the gameplay front. The series has, after all, evolved drastically with each new instalment over the years, and those improvements and evolutions would likely retrofitted into MGS1 to bring it more in line with what you’d expect to see from a AAA stealth game today. And again, much like the gameplay changes that 2019’s Resident Evil 2 made, such changes in an MGS1 remake would have a ripple effect on other things on the gameplay front as well, from boss fights to level design and more.

All of that sounds incredibly exciting, of course- after all, who wouldn’t want to plan an expanded, enhanced, and modernized take on one of the greatest games ever made? So yeah, it’s exciting- but it’s also just a best case scenario. Yes, a Metal Gear Solid 1 remake in the hands of a developer that was up to the task would be something to behold, but the chances of a development team actually being on that level and sticking the landing in all the ways it would need to would also be quite thin. Especially given the fact that series mastermind Hideo Kojima would be very unlikely to be involved with any such project, the risk of messing things up and not being able to do justice to the source material might perhaps be too much to cope with.

Interestingly, MGS1 isn’t the only retro entry in the series that Metal Gear fans would like to see remakes for. Many in the fanbase have often floated the idea of Konami going back even further and developing a combined remake of Metal Gear 1 and 2, taking the MSX duo and reimagining it completely as a modern AAA stealth experience that stands toe to toe with the games it spawned over the course of decades. Much like Metal Gear Solid 1, a remake of Metal Gear 1 and 2 would bring with it a completely overhaul of the gameplay, visuals, and design- maybe even to a greater degree. In fact, a similar overhaul might also be needed for the story and the way it’s told, especially if this hypothetical remake sets out to connect the original duology’s story with future instalments in a more cohesive fashion.

But again, a remake of this nature would be quite a risky proposition, even if for different reasons. Metal Gear 1 and 2 obviously don’t have the kind of legacy that Metal Gear Solid 1 does, so a combined remake of the two maybe wouldn’t be as beholden to the source material, and might have more freedom to change things on a wider scale. But given the level of kind of changes such a remake would be making, would it even still be Metal Gear 1 and 2 anymore? Above all that, do the two MSX games even have the kind of mass market pull that Konami would want from a major new Metal Gear release? Would such a project even be greenlit?

That leaves us with Metal Gear Solid 3- which might actually have been the safest choice for Konami in terms of deciding which game to remake. If reports of Metal Gear Solid 3 being remade are indeed true, then it’s not hard to see why Konami greenlit the project. It’s a widely beloved game, to the point that the majority of the fanbase considers it to be the series’ best instalment, so the hype and excitement that a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake would generate already gives it a massive leg up over most other games in the franchise. It’s also easy to imagine how a well-made bid budget remake could improve and expand upon a game that’s already an unabashed masterpiece.

At the same time, however, modernizing MGS3 wouldn’t be as risky and as monumental of a task as modernizing something like MGS1 would be. Yes, Snake Eater is a nearly two decade old game, and there’s a lot about its gameplay – especially its camera and movement – that hasn’t aged well, but it’s also much closer to modern design sensibilities than the original Metal Gear Solid was. The scale of changes and overhauling that would need to be implemented in a Snake Eater remake wouldn’t be nearly as daunting as it would be for MGS1, in terms of story, design, or mechanics.

The question, once again, is whether there’s a development team out there that’s up to the monumental task of doing justice to Metal Gear Solid 3 with a modern take on it. If leaks are to be believed, the remake is being developed by Singapore-based studio Virtuos, which has spent the majority of its time over the years working on ports and remasters. Is a studio like that equipped to deal with a massive AAA production, especially one that has so much riding on it? Sure, it’s likely that Konami will be exerting plenty of creative control over a project such as this one- but given the last decade or so, it’s not exactly easy to place too much faith in Konami either.

The truth is that without Kojima involved, any new Metal Gear Solid project is going to be received with its fair share of skeptics and doubters, and given how crucial the man has been to the series and its very identity for so long, it’s easy to understand why. Given these circumstances, Metal Gear Solid 3 does seem like a smart choice for the game to bring the series back from the dead- it’s the series’ most beloved entry to date, it’s old enough that a well-made remake could make some significant improvements over it, but not old enough that the changes would have to be too radical. The elements are certainly in place to make an excellent remake that helps reverse the franchise’s fortunes. We just hope Virtuos proves equal to the task at hand- if the leaks are accurate, that is.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

So how did it get to this point? How did we go from Metal Gear Solid dominating mindshare and delivering one masterpiece after another over a pretty long period of time, to it suddenly turning into a what is essentially a dead franchise? What the hell happened to Metal Gear?

Konami’s legendary stealth franchise broke into the mainstream when Metal Gear Solid launched for the original PlayStation in 1998- though that was not, of course, the beginning of the series itself. More than a decade before that, a young Hideo Kojima led the development on Metal Gear, launching it with Konami for the MSX in 1987. In 1990, Konami followed up on it with a standalone spinoff/sequel for the NES called Snake’s Revenge, before releasing a proper full-fledged sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, that same year for the MSX.

Those earlier, top-down 2D Metal Gear games were solid enough in their own right, especially the two mainline MSX titles. Neither of them have aged particularly well, but even so, they were enjoyable stealth experiences with what were, at that time, surprisingly engaging stories. And of course, much more important was the fact that even in those relatively games, Hideo Kojima and his team were laying down the foundations of what they would go on to achieve in future instalments.

Kojima certainly took his time with Metal Gear Solid. An eight year gap separated it from Metal Gear 2’s launch, but leveraging the PS1’s much more powerful hardware than what they had had to work with in the past, the development team ended up delivering what is, to this day, one of the most influential games ever made. Metal Gear Solid’s focus on storytelling, complete with cutscenes and voice acting and a kickass soundtrack to boot, rendered in 3D visuals – and remember, all of this stuff was cutting edge for games back then – all of this elevated it to untouchable heights. As one of the first games in the medium to truly show how integral story and storytelling can be to a great game, Metal Gear Solid’s legacy is immense.

Kojima and Konami certainly didn’t waste much time in capitalizing on the sudden wave of success they were riding after the launch of Metal Gear Solid. Over the next couple of years, we got experimental, smaller releases, like the MGS expansion VR Missions in 1999, or the Game Boy version of the first game (which was surprisingly excellent). Not long afterward though, in 2001, the PlayStation 2 saw the launch of an instant classic in the early stages of its life with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

The hype surrounding Metal Gear Solid 2 in the lead-up to its launch was unbelievable. Every time the game had been shown off before its release, it looked absolutely spectacular, boasting incredible realism and visuals and significant improvements to the already excellent stealth gameplay and storytelling of its predecessor. Its launch was, of course, met with some controversy, with Konami’s bait-and-switch pre-release marketing completely hiding the fact that for most of the game, Solid Snake is a secondary character, with newcomer Raiden instead being the protagonist.

At the time, Metal Gear Solid 2 caught quite a bit of flak for that, with many players upset about the reduced role of Solid Snake, and unhappy about playing as what was, at the time, viewed as a whiny and annoying character (though over time, Raiden would, of course, go on to completely win over Metal Gear fans). Interestingly enough, you can draw plenty of parallels between the backlash both Metal Gear Solid 2 and The Phantom Pain faced at launch. As the years passed though, the controversy surrounding MGS2’s launch subsided, and people realized that when viewed on its own merits, it’s an excellent game.

The stealth mechanics were incredibly tight, the level design was spectacular, there were a bunch of excellent boss fights in the game. Visually, the game was spectacular, and where storytelling was concerned, even with Solid Snake not playing as prominent of a role, MGS2 told an amazing story, one that not only had memorable moments and great characters, but also one that was over time proved to be surprisingly insightful and ahead of its time.

Metal Gear Solid 2 was definitely a swing for the series, a successful risk that paid off in spades. And after two consecutive stealth masterpieces, expectations from any follow ups were bound to be sky high. In 2004, we saw another flurry of activity from the series. First came Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for the GameCube, which, frankly, isn’t a great remake of the first game in most ways. Towards the end of that year, Metal Gear Acid also launched in Japan, and then in the West just a few months later. A fun distraction, but a largely forgettable spinoff.

Of course, 2004 was also the year that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater came out. Unlike Metal Gear Solid 2, MGS3 was exactly what was promised, and exactly what it was expected to be- a spectacular stealth game. And though it wasn’t nearly as surprising as its predecessor and didn’t do as much to grab headlines, so to speak, it still grabbed everyone’s attention. And that was purely on the back of how unbelievably good it was. Kojima and his team once again honed their excellent stealth gameplay and mechanics in intelligent ways, most notable with the addition of camouflage as a mechanic, while Metal Gear Solid 3 also surpassed the achievements of its predecessors in various other crucial areas as well- characters, the story, boss fights, you name it. Naked Snake was an excellent protagonist, The Boss remains one of the most complex and fascinating characters of all time, and then there were the likes of Revolver Ocelot, Volgin, and Eva- each a crucial part of the Metal Gear saga. To this day, there are many who regard Metal Gear Solid 3 not only as the best game in its series, but also as the best stealth game of all time, period- and it’s not hard to see why.

After Metal Gear Solid 3, for the next few years, we saw quite a few Metal Gear spinoffs coming out. Metal Gear Acid 2 launched in 2006, and much like its predecessor, it was a decent but unremarkable game. In that same year, we also got Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, a proper, full-fledged Metal Gear game for the PSP which turned out to be excellent in its own rights, providing solid stealth action and an engaging story in a handheld experience. At the time, Portable Ops was supposed to be part of the Metal Gear canon, but Kojima would eventually go on to change his mind- which still frustrates some series fans… but that’s a different discussion.

2008 was when Metal Gear swung for the fences again, in the form of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Billed as the conclusion to the long-running saga, MGS4 had impossibly high expectations to like up to, and the hype and attention that it garnered all the way up to launch was unbelievable. And when it came out, it was excellent- though it would also be fair to say that at the time of its launch, Guns of the Patriots was also the most divisive game in the series.

It clearly did a lot of things right. Mechanically, it was, once again, a spectacular stealth game, continuing the series’ upward trajectory in that department. Visually, it was a stunner, clearly having leveraged the PS3’s hardware to great effect. Narratively, it was probably the most ambitious game of its time, not just because its story was ambitious and was told in an ambitious way, but also because it had to properly wrap up an infamously convoluted, long-running saga, which was no easy task. Viewed on its own merits, Metal Gear Solid 4 is an amazing game.

But it’s also been criticized for a number of things over the years, and many of these criticisms are more than fair. Metal Gear cutscenes are always a joy to watch, and MGS4 had a lot of well-directed ones, but its infamously long cutscenes were- well, they were pretty damn long. And a lot of people liked that, but there were just as many people who actually wanted to play the game. Other criticisms brought up issues with the story as well, primarily because of what was essentially deemed as an excess of fan service, almost to the point where it felt like MGS4 was tapping hard into nostalgia just for the sake of it. And, of course, there were the nanomachines, which turned out the be the ultimate deus ex machina.

Either way, Metal Gear Solid 4 was a fitting conclusion. Ambitious and dedicated to its vision, and doing things that no other game would do in service to that vision. But though it was the narrative conclusion, it wasn’t, unsurprisingly (and in spite of Hideo Kojima’s repeated best efforts), the conclusion of the franchise itself. Because there were more great Metal Gear Solid games after that. Of course there were.

There was Peace Walker in 2010, a game that was, early on in development, meant to be Metal Gear Solid 5. Kojima viewed it as integral to the series’ story, serving as a direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3, and was insistent on releasing it as a mainline numbered title. But with it being a PSP game and all, Konami decided to remove the number and just release it as a mainline spinoff, so to speak. But honestly, it was good enough to be a numbered game. Peace Walker’s mission structure and general progression are quite different from all the Metal Gear games that preceded it, but it is an addictive, mechanically dense, and surprisingly replayable game- and, of course, tells a great story.

Not long afterward, in 2013, we got Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Kojima and Konami had tried to get the idea off the ground before, of an action-adventure Metal Gear spinoff featuring Raiden as the protagonist and focusing on hack-and-slash gameplay. That didn’t pan out, and they ended up turning to PlatinumGames for help- which, as we now know, was a really smart move. Metal Gear Rising is still one of Platinum’s best games to date, and as a character action game, stands as tall as all the giants of its genre. Definitely not a traditional Metal Gear experience, for very obvious reasons, but still an unmissable one.

Of course, the next mainline numbered title was also not a traditional Metal Gear experience. As desperate as Kojima was to be done with Metal Gear and make something new, the franchise would go on to continue with Metal Gear Solid 5– and this was where the trouble began.

Just as he did with MGS2, Kojima once again rolled the dice on what was a pretty big gamble with Metal Gear Solid 5. That, in fact, was something that bled over into the game’s marketing as well. Its initial reveal as what was supposedly a new IP called The Phantom Pain by an unknown developer called Moby Dick Studio only fooled people for a short while, and that whole thing with Hideo Kojima covering his face with bandages and appearing in an interview was fun, but ultimately, the game was revealed as Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. And it was making huge changes.

It was going fully open world. It was removing series stalwart David Hayter, instead bringing in to play Kiefer Sutherland to play Big Boss (or so we thought). After Metal Gear Solid 4, it was also dialing back on the emphasis on storytelling, focusing this time on emergent open world stealth gameplay. It was a huge experiment, and Kojima’s desire to be freed from the restrictions of working on the same property for years on end was clear to see. Metal Gear Solid 5 was promising to be completely unlike anything Metal Gear had ever been in the past.

It worked and it didn’t work. It worked because mechanically, both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are spectacular games. Hands down, those two are the best playing stealth games at this moment in time. They’re mechanically dense, their open world is full of interconnected systems that lead to excellent emergent gameplay, they boast amazing artificial intelligence. When you’re actually playing Ground Zeroes or The Phantom Pain (the latter especially), you’re guaranteed to be having the time of your life.

But The Phantom Pain was crippled by so many significant issues. Issues during its long and protracted development cycle are well-known by now, and those issues manifested in ugly ways in the game. Most of the second half didn’t make it into the final product, and instead had to be replaced be what were basically remixes of previous missions. There was also the fact that the game was literally incomplete, ending abruptly and having left so many questions unanswered because important parts of the story had to be cut out due to time constraints.

Many also felt that in its attempts to tone down its focus on storytelling after MGS4, it ended up overcorrecting. The story was severely de-emphasized in Metal Gear Solid 5, with very few cutscenes and crucial details being relegated to missable audio logs. And of course, that final reveal of Venom Snake’s identity was not a popular one, and remains controversial to this day. And those weren’t the only issues- a barren open world, features being cut from the game, a disappointing lack of boss fights… as mechanically spectacular as it was, Metal Gear Solid 5 was weighed down by just too many issues.

What really stings, of course, is the fact that it was also the last game in the series. At least right now. Maybe Metal Gear will come back some day, but even if it does, it will be the last game in the series to be directed by Hideo Kojima, and it just doesn’t seem like a fitting place to end. Kojima’s acrimonious departure from Konami ensured that Metal Gear’s future would be shaky, and shaky it has been indeed. We got the abomination that is Metal Gear Survive in 2018 (the less said about that, the better), and other than that, there’s been… well, nothing.

Of late, there have been rumours that a Metal Gear Solid revival could be in the cards. Reports have strongly suggested over the last couple of years that Konami is looking to license out some of its biggest properties, including the likes of Silent Hill and, yes, Metal Gear. A remake of the original MGS1 has been mentioned in some purported leaks, Bluepoint Games’ name has been brought up, while it’s even been suggested that multiple Metal Gear Solid remakes will be developed one after the another.

It’s hard to judge how accurate these rumours are right now, but it’s undeniable that right now, that’s all they are. They may very well end up being true, but right now, there’s very little concrete evidence to suggest that they are. We desperately hope they are, of course. Even though it won’t be the same without Hideo Kojima at the helm, a new Metal Gear Solid game would be hard to say no to, especially if the series’ path back into the limelight is not through a new entry, which is a very risky proposition, but a remake, which would have a much better chance of doing well and winning over fans.

There’s no telling when, or even if, we’ll find out how true these rumours are, but one thing is undeniable- our collective gaming lives would be better if Metal Gear was back on top, where it belongs, once again. Hopefully, that’s more than just a pipe dream.

Big Boss – Metal Gear

This was it – the first major betrayal that Metal Gear players would face. Apparently guiding Solid Snake throughout his mission to destroy Metal Gear, Big Boss would be revealed as the leader of Outer Heaven. After starting the self-destruct sequence, Big Boss and Solid Snake fight to the death…which is a nice way of saying that the player pelted him to death with rockets. By today’s standards, it’s kind of an underwhelming fight but its real weight is in the revelation of Big Boss’s betrayal.

These machines do earn scoffs from their western fans, but the existence of them does speak volumes about Konami and their ability to recognize which names make money and which ones don’t. The popularity of these franchises are second to very few, and anybody who knows anything about gaming must see the potential in them. With Konami’s legacy as  one of the greatest publishers of all time up until recently, and recent post-kojiima releases being met with such vitriol, I’m sure there are plenty of folks within the company, as well as long-time Konami fans, looking for a path to redemption for the company.

"But the point here is to not just make money at this point for Konami; they need a real big comeback. They need redemption, and all of the red tape and conflicts of interest that would be present in a full-on Metal Gear Solid anthology collection could perhaps be more trouble than it would be worth."

One of the obvious places to start does seem to be a possible remake or remaster of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake games. But would that be enough to get the ball rolling back in Konami’s favor? Could Konami redeem themselves by releasing metal gear and metal gear 2 remakes? It’s possible. But they would need to do it right. They couldn’t get away with cutting corners of any type, and they would need to back up these releases with lots of great content, communication with fans, and lots of consumer friendly extras, which at the moment doesn’t seem to be things in Konami’s DNA. So it would certainly require a shift in the mindset of the company first.

Its true  that the Metal Gear Solid games have been remastered and re-released to death at this point. With excellent versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 on the PlayStation 2, 3, Vita, and Xbox 360, it makes sense that we’ll probably see those games on the PS4 and Xbox One at some point, and with lots of fan support behind a full-fledged remake of Metal Gear Solid 1, that could happen as well. Perhaps even a remaster of Metal Gear Solid 4, as it isn’t that old of a game and could probably be remastered fairly easily.  Considering all of these possibilities, it probably makes more sense to combine them, and Peace Walker all into one Metal Gear Solid Collection for both modern consoles, or perhaps even next gen.

But it wouldn’t make sense to do that unless it could be all of them. Konami could release a remaster of any of these games and it would sell well. But the point here is to not just make money at this point for Konami; they need a real big comeback. They need redemption, and all of the red tape and conflicts of interest that would be present in a full-on Metal Gear Solid anthology collection could perhaps be more trouble than it would be worth. Even if they were able  to pull all of that off, these are games that most of us have already played on multiple consoles already.

"Lots of gamers who grew up with the Solid games may not even know these oldies even exist at this point, let alone have access to them."

They’re not bad, and Konami would stand to benefit from this, but ultimately it wouldn’t really set the world on fire the way Konami would need it to due to the prevalence of these games already. A more feasible path to redemption for Konami, and something that would really blow peoples’ hair back, would be a real remake, from the ground up, of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

The case for remakes of these games is a solid one and has been made by many throughout the Metal Gear fan base. These games weren’t re-released nearly as often as the Solid series, and outside of some digital purchases on various platforms, unlocking them in a special edition of Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater, or just getting the original NES or MSX copies on original hardware, there aren’t a lot of ways to even play them. This is surely a weak spot in the franchise and could definitely stand to be remedied, and a new version of these games would surely be appreciated and generate lots of buzz among fans.

Lots of gamers who grew up with the Solid games may not even know these oldies even exist at this point, let alone have access to them. So if Konami could get the resources and talent together that would be necessary to pull off a full on remake of those two games, it could very well put them back on the right track. They would bring in potentially all sectors of their fan base; old and new, and they would show all of us that they are truly interested in taking care of that franchise and treating their fans with respect. And obviously, if done right, sales would be through the roof, which is always a good thing in this day and age for a company like Konami.

"Knowing what we know about Konami lately, I wouldn’t bet on it, but given the sheer amount of praise and reputation restoration that Konami could stand to gain from it, if done well, certainly somebody must be looking at it as  a possibility."

The main burden of course would be a big one, and perhaps one that Konami isn’t interested in taking on. Making the games themselves.  This would surely be an undertaking like few others that Konami has had to deal with in the recent past. To remake Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 is to make two entirely new games. Sure they could base the games off of these old 8-bit adventures, but this would be far bigger than a simple remaster, and would require much more of Konami than just handing off an already solid game to bluepoint for a fresh coat of paint and a frame rate increase.

Since Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 are from an 8-bit world, obviously there is nothing really to build on other than a loose bullet point for the story, which thankfully would be more than enough to work with on that front. The problem is the graphics and presentation. The assets would all need to be new, and essentially Konami would need to green-light two brand new games to be made for their biggest and potentially most sensitive franchise.

Granted, I’m sure there are plenty of developers foaming at the mouth for an opportunity to take that challenge on, but the question is, does Konami really want to devote the amount of time and money that would be required to pull it off? Knowing what we know about Konami lately, I wouldn’t bet on it, but given the sheer amount of praise and reputation restoration that Konami could stand to gain from it, if done well, certainly somebody must be looking at it as  a possibility. Lots of factors are up in the air on this one, but one thing that is certain is that it  is one of the few options Konami has left to repair the damage.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to GamingBolt as an organization.