There are few video game franchises as storied as Metal Gear, but since Hideo Kojima’s falling out with Konami, the legendary series has been stuck in a rut. 2018’s Metal Gear Survive was an undeniable low point, and for five years, we’ve seen nothing but rumors and leaks about supposed Metal Gear remakes.
The latest rumor to cause an uproar comes from Donna Burke, the singer behind the beloved “Snake Eater” theme song. While it was quickly debunked, it only reinforces the feeling that Metal Gear needs to jump on the remake train.
The rumor sprang up after Burke posted a picture to Twitter saying she was in the recording studio while holding a folder emblazoned with “Snake Eater.” After hundreds of fans latched onto it as proof, the singer posted on Twitter again to clarify that the recording was purely for fun, and had nothing to do with an MGS3 remake.
While it turned out to be a false alarm, we’ve heard multiple rumors about an MGS3 remake recently. Back in October 2021, VGC reported that Konami was planning to reboot MGS3 with the help of the studio Virtuos, a studio that mostly focuses on supporting triple-A development.
Remakes have become one of the hottest trends in gaming in recent years, with smash-hit successes like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Demon’s Souls, Like a Dragon: Ishin, and Resident Evil 4. There’s clearly a lot of nostalgia at work, and Konami is already getting in on things with the Silent Hill 2 Remake. It’s just baffling that at this point, five years after the last Metal Gear game, we still don’t have any kind of official word about the series' return.
Part of the issue might be the ill will Konami built up during the whole debacle with Kojima, and it’s nearly impossible to disassociate the series from its legendary creator. Because of that, Konami is likely trying to be very careful with how it reveals and markets anything related to Metal Gear. Then, of course, there’s the question of which game/games Konami will want to remake.
While the first Metal Gear Solid might seem like the most obvious choice, there’s a compelling case to be made for MGS3, too. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain brought a ton of new players to the franchise, and its story is closely connected to MGS3. It makes sense Konami would want to capitalize on that, and an MGS3 remake could be built on the Fox Engine to give it a visual identity that falls in line with MGS5.
There’s a massive niche that Metal Gear Solid could capitalize on, and Konami would be wise to move on that as soon as possible. IO Interactive’s Hitman series is the only one consistently doing stealth. Arkane, the studio behind Dishonored, is focusing on co-op shooting with Redfall, and the likes of Splinter Cell and Deus Ex have fallen by the wayside. Even Assassin’s Creed has pivoted to a more action-RPG approach.
With how much Konami is re-investing in video game development, the return of Metal Gear Solid seems a matter of when not if. Still, it’s got to be done right. Remaking the beloved survival-horror game Silent Hill 2 seems like a daunting enough task, but that doesn’t even match the reverence fans have for Metal Gear.
