On the ninth anniversary of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, director Hideo Kojima has reflected on the game's launch.
Earlier today on March 20, Kojima took to his English-facing Twitter account to muse on the launch of The Phantom Pain's prologue. The director revealed it was originally his intention to have Ground Zeroes as part of The Phantom Pain, acting as a prologue to the wider game itself.
Kojima goes on to explain that Ground Zeroes was an "experiment," meant to test the waters for an episodic release format. Nonetheless, the director understands that there was a fair bit of confusion from fans upon launch, and that many were disappointed when expecting Ground Zeroes to be a "full game."
Nevertheless, after the launch, many people seemed to expect GZ to be "full game" and did not get my intension. It was felt to be too early. https://t.co/adafl2V1taMarch 20, 2023
This is the first time Kojima has addressed any of the confusion and disappointment surrounding Ground Zeroes. There was definitely a lot of confusion surrounding the prequel game back in 2014, as many were expecting a "full game" considering Ground Zeroes' price tag.
Instead, Ground Zeroes was a merely 2-3 hour experience, meant to introduce the player to the different gameplay mechanics of The Phantom Pain, and set up the wider story. Now though, it's interesting to know all these years later that Ground Zeroes' standalone nature from The Phantom Pain wasn't always intended by Kojima and Konami.
Controversy would follow Metal Gear Solid 5 into The Phantom Pain, with Kojima and Konami going their separate ways after the game's launch, and fans left flummoxed at what they felt was an unfinished story in the final game. Metal Gear Solid 5 has never been a stranger to debate and discussion, and Kojima's new comments are just fuel for that ever-burning fire.
Even today, The Phantom Pain still has a dedicated following, as one fan recently spent two years and $500 overhauling every weapon in The Phantom Pain with a real-world counterpart.
