Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes was an experiment to test launch in episodes

Metal Gear Solid 5 was planned, at some point, with an episodic release. Hideo Kojima has revealed this information coinciding with the ninth anniversary of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroesthe prologue of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain that it was something more than a preview of the main adventure: it would have tested the possibility of distributing the game in several chapters.

実は GZ の 発売 は 大きな 僕 の 意図 が あり た。 フル ゲーム の は ４ 〜 ５ 年 膨大 膨大 な 日 が が かかり ます。 制作 の の 間 に 時代 時代 は ます。 で ストリーム ドラマ の の よう よう提供を考えました。１話制作しては配信。フィードバックしながら２話、３話を配信。GZはその実験の意味もありました。 https://t.co/XapT6Lw4nh— 小島秀夫 (@Kojima_Hideo ) March 20, 2023

“In fact, there was a lot of interest in launching Ground Zeroes“, explains Kojima. “The development of a complete game takes a long time, four to five years. Times change during production. for this reason we think of giving an episodic format like that of a series“, which will allow you to receive feedback from players and apply changes to other episodes. Ground Zeroes it was a first experiment.

Ground Zeroes tells how Big Boss infiltrates a base to get Chico back. It can be overcome in a very short time, but it was accompanied by collectibles and other options to make it very replayable. It also introduced the antagonist of the story and concluded with a key incident for what is told in The Phantom Pain.

It was Hideo Kojima’s last game at Konami.

The outcome of the production is well known. Differences between Kojima and Konami in the final stretch of The Phantom Pain they finished with the departure of the creative director, who founded the current Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) and forced the cancellation of Silent Hills. Lots of fans too they regret that The Phantom Pain It should not be launched with one more episode that would better close one of the plots of the game, Episode 51: Kingdom of the Fliesa chapter that takes place in a new setting, an island on the outskirts of the border between Angola and Zaire that would shed light on Liquid Snake.