Konami addresses harsh criticism from MGS fans: “Metal Gear is dead, and you’re the ones who killed it.”
![Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater Naked Snake](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240702-33273-header.jpeg)
Metal Gear Solid Delta, the remake of 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is coming this year. Konami has gradually been releasing more info about the new game via their Metal Gear Production Hotline programs on YouTube. The latest episode, released on June 28 (with English subtitles), revealed some of the scathing feedback Konami has received about their recent attempts to revive the Metal Gear Solid series, indicating that fans are skeptical about an MGS game with no Hideo Kojima involvement.
Like the first broadcast back in March, the most recent episode featured Metal Gear series promotion manager Jiro Oishi and production producer Noriaki Okamura. This time, they were joined by another MGS veteran, creative producer Yuji Korekado. The program gave a breakdown of the feedback that Konami received on the questionnaire issued during the March broadcast. Positive feedback accounted for only 24%, with 11% of the answers being negative. The majority of the feedback was neutral (64%), with even some of the positive responses remaining cautious (“I feel like you really do care, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt.”).
![Metal Gear Production Hotline survey results](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240702-33273-003.jpg)
![Metal Gear Solid Production Hotline feedback breakdown](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240702-33273-001.jpeg)
The strong negative comments, such as “Metal Gear is dead, and you’re the ones who killed it,” and “You’ll probably do a bad job on the next game too, so I’d rather you just give up,” refer not only to recent issues with the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection but are likely rooted in fans’ widespread dissatisfaction regarding Hideo Kojima no longer being involved in MGS, and the circumstances surrounding his departure from Konami.
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima had overseen the series since its conception in 1987 right up until he left Konami in 2015. The games released by Kojima Productions, his development team within Konami, received high acclaim- including those outside the Metal Gear series. However, the Kojima Productions team was dissolved in 2015 following Konami’s reorganization, and Kojima was no longer on the company’s executive board. Kojima then left Konami in December 2015 to set up his own company, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS (capitalized).
![Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain Kaz Miller Big Boss](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240702-33273-002.jpeg)
Amid these changes at Konami, there were also a number of incidents that called into question their treatment of Hideo Kojima. For example, Kojima’s last Metal Gear game, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, won a couple of awards at The Game Awards in 2015. However, Konami’s legal department reportedly refused Kojima permission to attend the event. The Japanese actor who played Snake, Akio Otsuka, stated that Kojima Productions had been disbanded, and there were many other hints that Kojima’s departure from Konami was not amicable. In addition, the sudden removal of the “A Hideo Kojima game” branding from the box art and promotional material for Metal Gear Solid 5 rankled many fans of the series.
It seems that with the Metal Gear Hotline Production program, Konami is trying to foster transparency and open communication with MGS fans. Okamura assured viewers that Konami is listening; “We pay attention to this feedback, and we take it seriously.” Many of the comments on the video praised Konami for sincerely addressing and responding to negative feedback.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is scheduled to be released on PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series S|X later this year.
Written by. Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-06-29 13:33 JST)