Summary
For some time it had been rumored that Konami had something in the pipeline for theMetal Gear Solidfranchise. After a hiatus from the AAA gaming space, the publisher announced aremake ofSilent Hill 2as well as several other projects in the long-dormant franchise. This only furthered the speculation that a revival of the iconic stealth action series was on the way, and fans did not have to wait long for an announcement.
Earlier this year, Konami officially unveiled aremake ofMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eateras well as theMetal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1. The latter will include the first five canonical games in the franchise as well as bonus material. The remake ofMGS3doesn’t have a release date, but all of this points to a bright future for the franchise. Unfortunately,MGS6likely isn’t on the docket.
RELATED:Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Shares Interesting Similarities With Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain
Whatever plans Konami has forMetal Gear Solidare being kept under wraps, but it’s not difficult to guess what direction the series is heading.Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1has a confirmed release date, but there is no way to accurately predict what the publisher has planned forVolume 2. A release date has yet to be confirmed, but there are several titles that will likely be included if everything goes well.
The collection will likely include the fourth installment,Guns of the Patriots,and both parts of the fifth game.Metal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerandPortable Opswould also be contenders for the second volume considering how critical they are to the overall story. Depending on how generous Konami is with the collection, players may even seeMetal Gear Rising: Revengeanceand other lesser know spin-off titles included as well.
In addition to the collections, it is possible that the publisher has long terms plans for the remakes as well.MoreMetal Gear Solid Deltaremakeswould have a very clear direction to go on following the release ofSnake Eater. It would not be beyond reason to assume that the publisher may attempt to remake all the games in some way, shape, or form, in chronological order. Even if half of this were to come true, it would point to a bright future for the franchise. Unfortunately, this future likely will not includeMetal Gear Solid 6.
Why Metal Gear Solid 6 is Extremely Unlikely
The most notable issue withMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterwill be the lack of Hideo Kojima, which would also apply to any sequels. The games are very much Kojima’s creation, and his leadership leaves a distinct mark on whatever project he’s in charge of. Anything that is made in the franchise without his involvement will undoubtedly be different in a very noticeable way. Not to mention any sequel without him and his team will automatically generate controversy and renew stories about his less-than-amicable departure from Konami.
The other issue has to do with the story ofMetal Gear Solid. The story of the series was all about Big Boss and Solid Snake for the most part. The fourth game saw Big Boss finally die and heavily implied that Snake would also be gone within a year.Metal Gear Solid 5also brought Big Boss' story full circle to the originalMetal Geargames. Because of this, it’s not likely that either story could be continued in a meaningful way. Any addition to them would run the risk of undoing the powerful endings of the 4th and 5th games, which is a difficult sell at best.
Currently, there isn’t truly a way to know what Konami has planned forMetal Gear Solid. With the upcoming remake and the collections it’s clear that the franchise has a bright future. However, given the marketing and story challenged a sixth main game would bring, this bright future likely does not include such an installment.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eateris in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Every Metal Gear Solid Game In Chronological Order (And The Year They Take Place In)
