The Metal Gear series is officially 35 years old as of today, well within a midlife crisis age range. Surprisingly, Konami isn’t done with the franchise yet.
For years, Metal Gear has been in an awkward limbo. After series creator Hideo Kojima left Konami in 2015, most fans had no confidence that there would ever be another installment. Especially after Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater were delisted last fall. Although it’s looking like both will be back on digital storefronts soon.
“Today Metal Gear celebrates its 35th anniversary, first released on July 13, 1987,” Konami said on Twitter (translation via GLHF). “We are making preparations to resume the sale of temporarily unavailable titles.”
1987年7月13日に発売された『METAL GEAR』シリーズは、本日35周年を迎えました。
一時販売を停止しておりますタイトルにおいて、販売再開のための準備を進めております。 #METALGEAR #MG35th pic.twitter.com/X7RL5du2qE— メタルギア公式 (METAL GEAR) (@metalgear_jp) July 13, 2022
Konami gave no dates for when either title might be on sale again, but it’s a start. Hopefully, the still PS3-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots comes to modern platforms someday too. Don’t hold your breath on that one, though.
The last mainline entry was Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, which came out in 2015, shortly before Kojima’s departure. Since then, the spinoff Metal Gear Survive was released in 2018 but didn’t win over fans or critics. It’s currently sitting at 60 on Metacritic — dismally low for this franchise.
Kojima, on the other hand, has been doing well for himself. Death Stranding was a massive hit, and there’s probably a sequel coming. The famous director is working on an untitled Xbox exclusive, and rumor has it that also he’s making a horror game.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
