Tonight, at 10pm PT (6am GMT on January 13), Metal Gear Online, the full fledged online multiplayer mode for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, will finally be launching on PC. The catch here, though, is that the mode will only be launching in beta form- the full, final version is still not ready for release yet, it seems.

Metal Gear Online’s launch was delayed for the PC before The Phantom Pain even launched; in return, however, PC players did get to play The Phantom Pain at the same time as everyone else, as the launch of the PC version of the game was moved fifteen days ahead so it would launch day and date with the console versions. It seemed like a fair trade at the time, but I am sure a lot of PC players have found themselves wishing they could join in on the fun of Metal Gear Online already, particularly since the mode seems to be well developed, and with a thriving community, this time around.

“While that’s our target time, there’s a chance it’ll slip by an hour or two as we implement this awaited update,” Kojima Productions LA community manager Robert Peeler posted on Steam, “but rest assure we will be here for support and launch as planned.”

“It’s been a long wait, and we absolutely appreciate the support we’ve received not just from MGO fans but also our passionate Steam community. Seriously, you all are amazing!

“What little time we have left we will spend playing MGO.”

Starting tonight, they get the chance. Stay tuned for more information.

Following reports that FOX Engine overseer and worldwide technology director Julien Merceron left Konami due to the lack of “ambitious projects”, GameBlog is now reporting that the company has stopped all AAA game development aside from Pro Evolution Soccer and Metal Gear Online 3, which goes live on October 6th.

Interestingly, Konami president Hideki Hayakawa stated several months ago that the company would build a variety of different titles and not just mobile games. There was also plenty of talk about the Metal Gear franchise continuing on without Kojima but that no longer appears to be the case. Eurogamer further confirmed the report.

Prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Nikkei offered new information about life at Konami and the company’s poor work culture. It was noted at the time that Konami wasn’t too interested investing resources in AAA titles when mobile games earned plenty of revenue with highly reduced costs. What will become of games like Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill then? We’ll find out in the coming months.

Konami has announced that Metal Gear Online 3, the competitive multiplayer mode included with Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, will be going live on October 6th.

The studio also shared several new details on the different classes in the game, namely the Enforcer, Scout and Infiltrator. While the Enforcer is meant for running and gunning with heavy weapons and stamina, the Scout can use sniper rifles and is good for gathering information. It’s the Infiltrator which is best at close quarters combat and can employ stealth camouflage.

On top of this, players will have a chance to use Big Boss/Snake and Ocelot, with the former employing a rocket arm and the latter using dual revolvers. Some of the game modes were also detailed, primarily Bounty Hunter which sees two teams trying to reduce their tickets to zero. The twist is that using the Fulton on enemies resets the ticket score and can thus be very useful in certain situations.

What are your thoughts on Metal Gear Online 3? Let us know in the comments below.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is now officially released and available on a number of different platforms. Its multiplayer online component, which was originally expected to be ready when the offline game launched now isn’t coming until October. Luckily for you, there will be a way to get a look at the online component of the game ahead of it’s launch, as long as you can afford a plane ticket to Japan. Konami announced this week that it will be showing off, complete with a playable demo of Metal Gear Online 3.

Of course, shortly after they announced that the demo would be shown off at the Tokyo Games Show, the company deleted the announcement from it’s Twitter account. That could mean one of two things. Either someone at the company got some wrong information and then went public with it, or they simply announced the information sooner than they were supposed to announce. We do know that the YouTube Stream link that went live about the same time as the announcement is actually still going strong. It’s expected to go live on September 17 and that particular date is the same as the official start of TGS.

The pulling of the tweet does have some people wondering if maybe Konami is actually going to have to delay Metal Gear Online yet again. One would certainly hope not if only because the game is getting some rather rave reviews since it has launched. Hopefully it’s going to launch when it was supposed to considering that this version of the mode is allowing a never before seen 16 players at one time.

Kojima Productions’ online component for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, namely Metal Gear Online 3, will allow for up to 16 players on PC, Xbox One and PS4. This is according to the game’s official website. Videogamer also reports that the Japanese version of the site confirmed up to 12 players for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

Limitations of the previous generation consoles? You tell us.

Metal Gear Online 3 will launch alongside The Phantom Pain. Footage of the online mode has showcased Big Boss with a team of soldiers invading a base controlled by Revolver Ocelot and his team. Various skills are utilized including decoy puppets, vehicles, and CQC techniques. There are a number of different skins to choose along with a number of different multiplayer modes.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will be out on September 1st for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4. The PC version will be out on September 15th.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain took the stage at The Game Awards with Big Boss voice actor Kiefer Sutherland and director Hideo Kojima discussing the game’s online multiplayer component with Metal Gear Online 3.

As the third iteration of the Metal Gear Online component, it looks fairly straightforward. You and a team of friends will be able to take on different classes and appearances. You’ll assault a key objective, guarded by the enemy team, and utilize a variety of gadgets in the process. These range from decoy puppies to Metal Gear Walkers that can be piloted and used to devastate enemies.

Also, selfies. Yes, selfies. Because why not.

If anything, Metal Gear Online 3 looks far smoother and coherent than its predecessors. It will be available when Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain launches in 2015 but more information will be available in the coming months. What are your thoughts on the game thus far? Let us know in the comments.