Konami Needs Lots of Money for the Next Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has proven to be a hit, selling five million copies worldwide. According to today’s Nikkei, the Tokyo-based fitness company has began internal talks about the next Metal Gear title.

[Maple22]

Hmmm it all sounds very secret squirrel to me. It would be so much better if someone just came out and told everyone what's going on!

[PaleMoonDeath]

Wait until Kojima's 100% free from Konami, we'll get the nitty gritty story from him.

Can't wait :P

[Wellsy487]

I think that could be a long time coming. There could be some legality that will stop him explaining all, but we are all aware that there is a story there, just like there probably are in a lot of studios. Obviously I think Konami/Kojima's is an interesting one, and every single gaming site will be jumping for a chance to get the story.

[SolidStoner]

All konami needs is the end of it, I mean like Konami being broke and sold to "Kojima productions"...

then the gaming will begin.. this far all they will create is tears and sorrow! And with more money it will get even worse!

[bunt-custardly]

People seem to overplay Kojima and his name attached to the series. I believe too much importance is placed upon his name hence.

"Konami took Kojima’s name off The Phantom Pain’s box art"

Yet it was plastered all over the mission intro sequences and end credits numerous times.

Kojima isn't the sole reason why the MGS games are what they are it's a team effort with many heads contributing ideas to the product.

Now that Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain have proved there is a solid template for open-world gaming in the MGS universe I don't have any doubts that a team of devs can build upon the ground already set to make another fantastic game especially if they are all ears and listen to the fans.

[BiggerBoss]

Kojima had final say on nearly every aspect of the MGS games, from the story to the gameplay. To try and downplay his importance is ridiculous.

We've already seen what happens when a Metal Gear game is developed without Kojima, somehow we ended up with a hack and slash game.

[Godmars290]

You say when not only Kojima's been linked to every game in the series, but he designed MGS5's game engine. Konami is not just trying to moving on without the creator of the series, but with just about everything he's done.

If that was all things would be bad enough for them, but then by all counts they've no respect for their devs. Never even tried to cultivate Kojima's replacement.

Until they have something to show - I want to say solidly, but seriously, the gaming is what it is - they have no credibility. If not great degrees less.

[deafdani]

@Biggerboss: Kojima (and Konami) didn't want to make the game in the end, so they agreed to outsource it.

And it probably was better because of it.

Metal Gear Rising is fantastic, and it was more appropriate to make it a hack 'n slash game because of its protagonist and his moveset. And when it comes to hack 'n slash games, Platinum Games are the cream of the crop.

That's why it was changed from "Metal Gear Solid: Rising" to "Metal Gear Rising". To reflect the change in gameplay. The "Solid" series is stealth, Rising is pure action.

I would love a new Metal Gear Rising made by Platinum, to be honest.

[shankentertainment]

Thats a big IF

[DDMNeo]

@BiggerBoss

If you want a better example, look at the worse game in the series. Portable Ops. Or the side games like the Acid series.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

It's not his name that made the series great though. Yes, it's a team effort, but he's been very vocal in the past about the team not being ready to handle it when he wanted to leave it in their hands several times before. Whether or not the open world structure is best for the game moving forward is completely subjective. I don't feel like it automatically made Phantom Pain better. And you really don't think his name is all over the game in *spite* of his name not being on the box, along with everything else going on in the company?

Gameplay in a future Metal Gear might be OK. Everything else, I highly doubt it will be anywhere near the quality that it's known for. I won't find out either way.

[rainslacker]

I would say that overall, he doesn't work in isolation in creating these games. Quite honestly, there are marks that Konami interfered with this game all over the game itself. The whole FOB coin thing, the obscenely priced upgrades through GMP which you can get faster if you purchase more FOB's, the fact that the best staff recruitment comes from FOB stuff, but requires constant logging in, the fact the game is unfinished in the story mode, etc. The more traditional elements are still in tact, and for what Kojima and his team created, the did an adequate job.

But I have to disagree that Kojima isn't the sole reason for MGS games being what they are. Back when he created the first metal gear game(not solid) on the NES, he was pretty much the only designer. I think he had a couple programmers and a few artists. Certainly, they had some input into the game, but back then, games could be made with smaller staffs, and almost all the elements of what makes Metal gear what it is were laid out within those two games, crazy story included. Most of the crazy stuff that happens in the game are all Kojima, and permeate all his works.

I think there was always a place for open world in the MGS games. I'd just prefer there to be more variety, and more focus on the story being cohesive. The second you are about to face a Metal gear, but then it cuts out and you can go do side ops to your hearts content is the point where I realized that the open world in this game was done wrong. Otherwise, it's just have your buddy mark everything, tranq, fulton extract, finish the mission over and over again. The story suffered due to open world, and while there is plenty to do, it is boring after a while...but damn if I haven't been addicted to it these past few weeks. I'd be done to platinum by now if not for that Quiet BS for the end game where I did a full restart.

Konami itself hasn't been the epitome of awesomeness they once were. If their direction for the series is a rather lackluster open world, heavy emphasis on mechanics which encourage micro-transactions, and releasing games who's stories are incomplete, then I'd be hard pressed to consider any future installments to be anything like those that Kojima directed. He puts so much into the games that only his fans would get, and I doubt director #213 from section B is going to have that same effect.

What it comes down to is that Kojima is very adament about not releasing a game that isn't up to his standards. I highly doubt that future games will be given this luxury when Konami is ready to release. I also wouldn't doubt this is one of the reasons for the fallout between Kojima and Konami, because while the game is actually really good overall, it is not finished on the story part which is where Kojima likely spent most of his time.

@deaf

Kojima was still involved in the production of MGR. Some of his trademarks are there.

[morganfell]

@defdani,

You are confusing a game set in the Metal Gear universe (Rising) with a Metal Gear game, which Rising is not.

[Ratty]

Kojima was the one who came up with the idea to make the game open world while everyone on his team was against it. So, yeah, I think he's the sole reason MGSV got here. If you don't believe me, go play any MGS he didn't make.

[Azzanation]

Kojima over spent on MGS5 which put Komani in a dangerous place. Hence the war between the two.

[UltraNova]

I think the guy proved that he earned any budget he wanted, just look up the reviews his games got and how many millions of copies they sold.

[Azzanation]

You can put companies in danger because of reviews. You would hope MGS5 is great considering its an 80+m game. Why cant he make a good game without such a high super budget?

[PaleMoonDeath]

No Kojima, No MGS. Anything from here onwards is a spin off in my eyes. God.. they're probably taking the cut content of MGSV and turning it into a full scale game.

[Yukes]

Exactly what I was thinking. Without the 7,461 mentions of 'Hideo Kojima' that bulked out MGSV, though, they're really going to need to flesh it out.

[PaleMoonDeath]

They could do a crossover though that I'd totally buy.

One weapon to surpass Metal Gear.. JEHUTY!

[Summons75]

A new MGS after all this will be like what happened to DMC. We are promised an amazing game then the IP gets handed to a bunch of devs who couldn't care less about the title or the fans and we get a terrible game like DmC.

[rainslacker]

I have a feeling that will be the case as well. not that I feel I haven't gotten my moneys worth out of what they already released...and I got Ground Zeroes through PS+ so no biggie there, but the "ending" was rather disappointing. The cut content wasn't likely cut. I have a feeling it was actually unfinished.

Another chapter will be DLC at the very least, but I wouldn't put it past Konami to release it as MGSVI with a bunch of the open world stuff used as filler. Granted, a single chapter was fairly long if you didn't rush through it, but still, it's a shame to think the game that Kojima wanted to release never got released, but broken up to maximize profit. Every part about the release of this game has been the ultimate micro-transaction scheme. MGS:GZ, the main game, now a third game. Then of course the ludicrous FOB stuff to actually get stuff without playing ten thousand hours. FOB Missions are cool, but the combat deployment just added to the constant micro-managing that you had to do, sometimes even during missions, and if you didn't do all that stuff you had to listen to Miller be the whiny b*tch about how you should go do those things.

hmm...I think I went off on a tangent. I love the game itself. Loads of fun, but certain things about it just seem to get me going.

***Possible spoiler for those not to the end game***
Ultimate screw you to the fans would be if they offer Quiet as DLC for end game content. I don't like how they concluded her story, and I won't get into the illogical threads of her story which actually probably were all on Kojima.

[Wellsy487]

I have a feeling that the game was getting so costly they just threw it out. That game is amazing, but it must have cost a fortune, and I feel that the review scores proved this is how you make a AAA game. If Konami were smart (which they're proving not to be) they would use the engine, and make another game, not MGS for a while. Any MGS game they bring out in the next few years will be compared to Kojima's work, and with all the fallout between the company and Kojima, they should keep that at a distance.

You're probably right. The final chapter will be a full game that is a fraction of the Phantom Pain.

[rainslacker]

They do use the engine for most of their games as far as I'm aware. It's their in house engine. They could consider licensing it out, as that's a great revenue stream.

I'm positive the game wasn't cheap to make, but think it probably falls in line with other games of it's caliber. It was abundant in content, but a lot of the content of the game was reused throughout.

Quite honestly, I'm impressed, given the scope of the game, just how few noticeable bugs there were. In fact you had to really look for them, so I give kudos to their QA department and the dev team themselves for doing a great job there. Just a side note there of course, but I don't envy the QA team.

Anyhow, back to topic, I 100% agree. Any new game is going to be held to a high standard, and it's not going to have a lot of the benefit of the doubt that Kojima's name affords.

Outside of the "ending" of MGSV finally being released, I'd imagine that they would scale back the production design for future games, possibly leave the Solid name behind, and move into more games like Rising, so spinoffs to capitalize on the Metal Gear name itself.

[kaizokuspy]

Why not let 343 industries butcher your childhood like they butchered mine T.T

[Ratty]

More like fanfic than spinoffs if you ask me xD I'm not buying either if he isn't directing.

[AizenSosuke]

While Kojima is on "Vacation"? yeah Konami a long long vacation, I'm hopeful of Sony taking in Kojima please.

[shankentertainment]

Kojima would master Syphon Filter

[AizenSosuke]

Yes your right Shanks:)

[hellothere1977]

kojima is a loose canon...i doubt any major company will sign him on given his track record of 1) draining development reserves, 2) taking 7 years to make one game, and 3) undermining his bosses by acting like a narcissistic 7 year old by secretly plastering his name throughout Konami's product.

the only company i can see that would be willing to put up with his antics is Microsoft because of their desperation in Japan.

[kaizokuspy]

Fallout 4 took longer I believe. If not about the same amount of time.

[BiggerBoss]

There is ZERO chance of him going to Microsoft. He looked miserable just being on stage with them at E3 2013.

[Ratty]

Do you smell that? Yeah it's because your head is up your ass. You should probably get that checked.

1) Do you work for Konami? Do you have any numbers you can share with us?

2) Kojima was directing PW which came out in 2010. Now he was probably wrapping up development sometime in early 2010 which allowed him to start working on MGSV the same year. He had been working on FOX before that but its purpose was not solely MGSV so I don't think it counts. Not sure it should count on MGSV's budget either. Anyway that number is more like around 5 years but it's probably even less given that FOX was not even completed yet.

3) Konami are the ones who put him in the spotlight in the first place. Maybe you're like 14 years old. That would explain why you don't know but the guy was already gaining a lot of fame in MGS1 even thouh his name wasn't on the cover. The only place you could see it was in the Mantis fight and the end credits. In MGS2 (not long after you were born), that was the first time his name got on the cover. They even gave him his own studio following MGS3. Or maybe you think he just took over with guns or somehing?

[Summons75]

Konami needs to stop being so bi-polar. "We are never making console games again!" "Give us money for more Metal Gear"....if you wanted money Konami, you wouldn't have fired the creator of MG, you wouldn't of cancelled SIlent HIls which would have done just as well if not BETTER than MGSV in sales, you wouldn't have treated your employees and the people are are expecting to give you money.

NO you can shove it. Gamers are never going to support you anymore and the fact that information is coming out about how you were abusive and how you FORCED Kojima to rip apart his creation to sell a chunk earlier and completely leave out the rest because you just wanted him gone. You ruined Castlevania, ruined Silent Hills, left other great IPs to rot when gamers have been begging for new entires for years. You will never be welcomed back into the gaming community. Have fun with your pachinko.

[Eiyuuou]

What they really need is Kojima.

[TheColbertinator]

Why? MGS on phone is coming next and it'll have the cheapest budget available. Swipe to pay $3.99 for a new suppressor.

[DittoHefner]

Just do Metal Gear Acid 3 already. Release a Metal Gear Acid HD Collection, too. Then do Metal Gear Rising 2, and remake Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. These are much better ideas than doing a Metal Gear VI without Kojima (not that I think he is a necessary component but it's better to play it safe with spinoffs, remakes, and remasters for now).

Just let me run your gaming division, Konami. Or go focus exclusively on Pachinko, IDGAF.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Lmao!

[deafdani]

Wait. You talk about it as if making a new Metal Gear Rising would be a bad thing. Come on, the first one was great. I'm all in for a sequel, as long as it's developed by Platinum Games again.

:3

[DittoHefner]

No, I'm not. I just think that leaving sequels/prequels out of everything for a while is wise. There's lots to be done in the MG universe, so give the main series a rest and cater to the rest of the MGverse.

As for who should develop MGR2, I'd vote Capcom if they were down.

[deafdani]

Why Capcom? Because of the Devil May Cry series? Because that game was made by Kamiya, who founded Platinum Games... and Platinum Games are the best developers out there when it comes to pure action games.

[DittoHefner]

Just because Capcom actually makes games I like and Platinum doesn't. MGR's biggest weakness was story and stealth, which are huge mistakes (despite that I like the game), and Bayonetta is way overrated, plus Transformers is just Bayonetta with robots. They're not the most creative team, though they are technically proficient.

Capcom blows Platinum away. I know it's cool to hate Capcom these days but they're great.

[hellothere1977]

Pachinko division is pretty much what made all the money that kojima used to finance a HUGE DEVELOPMENT TEAM FOR 7 F@CKING YEARS.

[rainslacker]

Or make a Suikoden, or capitalize on any of their other titles which sell well. Konami has plenty of things to make money off of which would cost less than a full on MGS game, and I dunno, they could try to venture out and make something new which would be a big hit and make them money like most publishers try to do on occasion. Heck, I couldn't even imagine how a remake of Snatcher would set the Japanese gaming market on fire....but that's a Kojima game...go figure.

It's funny how the concept of 1 success can make up for 10 failures seems lost on publishers nowadays. Heck, look at Activision. If they hadn't done COD, which could have bombed hard, where would they be today? re-releasing Pitfall on mobile I'd imagine.

[pompombrum]

Lots of money and a miracle. It will take a lot for them to reassure fans that the Metal Gear name has a prosperous future ahead of it without Kojima.

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

no more mgs please.

[lizard81288]

I didn't think it would cost that much to make a Pachinko machine....

[rainslacker]

It does when you get Keifer Sutherland to deliver it to the stores.

[DivineAssault]

Those pieces of crap dont need anything with all the different revenue they receive. I knew that AAA software was going to get too expensive to make eventually though.. Not many companies will risk putting out games that cost $100 million

[zsquaresoff]

Well, better start making more of those pachinko machines to fund the game.

If they go the kickstarter route, hope no one supports them.

[FallenAngel1984]

The Metal Gear Solid franchise is pretty much over at this point

[1060FX8300]

#FucKonami
They won't see a penny from me ever again

[Pancit_Canton]

MGSVI F2P Edition, Social Based Game, Microtransaction Infested. lol

[Sainox16]

Watch 9 years will pass and Kojima will say "kept you waiting huh" lol

[rainslacker]

I'm calling it now. Kojima will have a KS(or whatever is available now) for a spiritual successor to Snatcher and Policenauts.

[Lennoxb63]

They need to make a Metal Gear battle game. Cause for a game that's called 'Metal Gear', it doesn't have many in it.

[2v1]

Metal ..gear that ralates to guns and bullets to me imo

[Lennoxb63]

No. Metal gear is what they call the mechs in Metal Gear games. Not referring to the guns at all.

[rainslacker]

I kind of felt that the idea of Metal Gears within the game was more about the idea of the control of which some people can gain over the world. Or the few control the many mentality. It's a recurring theme of the game, if not the major thing that Snake fights against.

I don't recall any of the games really having a lot of them. Just snake going against those that had control of them.

Also, technically, I believe it's only the nuclear powered mechs with AI controls. Think the human controlled ones are called something else...but not sure what.

[DillyDilly]

Whats next they start a Kick Starter ? Because thats working so well for Shenmue & that Kick Starter has kinda become a laughing stock after things died down

[SynestheticRoar]

If Kojima is out. It's dead to me.

[Cernunnos]

No more money from me. I've given Konami the last dollar I will ever give them.

[formanbradley]

Only game I wanna see is Revengeance 2 made by Platinum... or show what Big Boss was up to during The Phantom Pain.

[plmkoh]

If the next Metal Gear is Metal Gear 1 + 2 remake that would be golden, it's really in need of a remake and the story has already been set. The NES game just simply doesn't hold up well today.

[bharathwajravi]

It could be said as a mess of the next MGS without Hideo Kojima..!!!!

[kotaku77]

They need money for the pachinko machine?

[DVAcme]

"the Tokyo-based fitness company"

This is me dry-heaving.

[TheFrag]

Please no, just cancel this non kojima game.

[hkgamer]

Get ready for Snakes Revenge remake :D

[Tzuno]

They have money, they don't have balls.