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MGS Snake Eater remake doesn’t have input from pivotal Konami figures

Konami confirms that two major people involved in the MGS franchise won't have any input going forward with the Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater remake.

Big Boss and Hideo Kojima in Metal Gear Solid

The Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater remake is one of many upcoming PS5 games we can’t wait to dive into, but fans of Metal Gear Solid 3 will need to temper their expectations when it comes to the Konami development team. While enjoyers of the acclaimed stealth series hoped that they might return to have some input ahead of the Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater release date, Konami confirms that Death Stranding 2 mastermind Hideo Kojima and long-time artist Yoji Shinkawa won’t be involved with the project.

Sorry, Metal Gear Solid fans. While you probably expected that Kojima wouldn’t be involved after his well-documented departure from Konami, the developer reveals to IGN specifics about the Snake Eater remake’s conception. “They are not involved. However, the development team will work hard to create this remake and also the ports [for Metal Gear Solid Master Collection] so that they can be enjoyed on multiple platforms by even more players all around the world,” says a Konami spokesperson to IGN.

The spokesperson also details to IGN that as opposed to involving Kojima with the remake’s production, it will instead be handled by team members “involved in the production of the past [games in the] Metal Gear series.” Kojima’s involvement with MGS spans all the way back to 1987, with the release of Metal Gear – a game that Kojima both wrote and designed for MSX2.

This game came to fruition after Kojima joined the Konami MSX computer division a year before, starting a relationship with the developer that would last until the release of Metal Gear Solid The Phantom Pain.

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Shinkawa was the lead character and mecha designer for the MGS franchise the 1998 entry on the PS1, and has worked with Kojima on every one of his games since the release of Policenauts in 1994. It is a shame that Kojima and Shinkawa won’t be involved with the game, as their artistic collaborations are responsible for giving the franchise a unique identity within the stealth genre.

The cover artwork for games like Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty is iconic enough on its own. We still get goosebumps looking at that PS2 box art. Aside from their lack of input, you’re probably wondering why Konami has elected to remake MGS3 first, rather than the 1998 classic or even the original Metal Gear. According to Konami, the developer explains that it “chose Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater because it depicts the birth of Big Boss, which is the starting point of the Metal Gear series [chronologically].”

Yet, there are some silver linings too with the MGS3 Snake Eater remake. The list of Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater voice actors confirms the return of a legendary actor, who we hope to see in an MGS4 remaster down the line.