Published on: 21/01/2022

Is Metal Gear Solid 5 The Last Game?

When Metal Gear Solid 5 launched back in 2015, it was widely regarded as a massive success. Commercially, it became known as one of the most popular Metal Gear Solid titles to ever release, offering a vast, expansive adventure. In terms of the overall chronology of Metal Gear, ‘Phantom Pain’ (the game’s subtitle) fit into the mid-point of the timeline, filling in some gaping holes in the story. But, almost seven years later, there’s no news of a follow-up title.

Is Metal Gear Solid 5 the last ever Metal Gear Solid game?

An Unfortunate Set of Circumstances

Metal Gear was first created by visionary director Hideo Kojima, way back in the mid-1980s. It first made an appearance in 1987, and from there on out, effortlessly established itself as a legendary, iconic franchise. As the years wore on, Metal Gear Solid leaped from generation to generation, being a constant presence in the world of gaming. However, in March of 2015, mere months before the launch of Metal Gear Solid 5, a shock scenario occurred.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Hideo Kojima, the driving force and spirit behind MGS, was forcefully ejected from Konami. This had been his home for around thirty years, and Konami was the publisher – and rights holder – for the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Without the captain to steer the ship, Metal Gear Solid inevitably fell into disarray – but it wasn’t the end… Not yet.

In 2018, Metal Gear Survive was released by Konami, completely without Kojima’s input. This somewhat bizarre MGS title was built around a survival horror theme, something of a first for the franchise. Furthermore, it was officially stamped a commercial failure and received widely negative reviews at the hands of critics.

Unsurprisingly, in MGS games rankings it’s the worst-rated game of all time.

So, Is Metal Gear Solid 5 The Last Game?

Let’s look at the facts:

1. The creator, visionary director, and beating heart behind the Metal Gear Franchise cannot touch it anymore.
2. The current rights holder for Metal Gear Solid has failed to produce even a somewhat acceptable title for the franchise.
3. With Phantom Pain completed, the timeline was effectively filled in, and all loose ends tied up.

If Metal Gear Solid 6 ever arrives, it’ll likely be a total re-hash or a ‘re-imagining’ of the existing franchise. We’ll likely see a game set from a completely different perspective than what we’re used to, and it’ll likely be a completely different story, featuring all-new characters. There’s very little chance the game will be a commercial success, as in truth, fans were extremely sympathetic for Hideo Kojima and how the entire Konami debacle unfolded.

Of course, there’s nothing stopping Hideo Kojima from using his own production studio to create a brand new franchise akin to Metal Gear. Alternatively, if he were able to stump up enough cash, there’s always the slim chance he could procure the rights for Metal Gear Solid from Konami.

Or, in the least likely scenario possible, Kojima and Konami could once again join forces.

There’s no way of knowing.