[Update: The Metal Gear 35th anniversary website was unfortunately just some jerk’s April Fools’ Day joke.]
The Metal Gear franchise began life at Konami in 1987, springing forth from the mind of creator Hideo Kojima. That means 2022 marks the 35th anniversary of the Metal Gear franchise, and Konami has opened a website to celebrate. However, right now the website consists entirely of the image you see above — the “alert” exclamation point, but with the point replaced by a “35th.” It’s teasing that something is coming, but we don’t know what yet.
As of December 31, 2021, the Metal Gear franchise had reached 58 million total sales, yet the franchise is currently in an awkward place. A Metal Gear Solid movie is in development from the Kong: Skull Island director with Oscar Isaac starring as Solid Snake, which is awesome. Otherwise, aside from PC ports of the early games, the series is largely on ice at the moment. In fact, Metal Gear Solid 3 has even been temporarily removed from digital storefronts while licenses are renewed.
The last new entry in the game franchise was 2018’s Metal Gear Survive, which adapted the mechanics of Metal Gear Solid V in a surreal survival setting. It was not critically well received, particularly because Hideo Kojima had left the company by then and had no involvement with it. Aside from hawking merchandise from the Konami Shop, it’s hard to know what exactly the Metal Gear 35th anniversary website is going to do to celebrate.
However, there was a report last year that developer Virtuos is remaking Metal Gear Solid 3, in addition to claims that remasters of other Metal Gear Solid games are in development. Plus, a separate report last year claimed that Hideo Kojima is once again working on a new Silent Hill, which if true would suggest Kojima and Konami have mended fences. Taken altogether, these factors could make for a pretty terrific 35th anniversary for Metal Gear, so keep your eyes peeled for more information at the new website.
