When Hideo Kojima leftKonamiback in 2015, it sent shockwaves through the gaming community. Kojima remains one of the industry’s most influential and well-respected video game designers and his connection with Konami and theMetal Gearseries is in many ways responsible for that. Although he was able to quickly find his feet andmoved on to other things, he leaves behind one of gaming’s biggest IPs.
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Now that the dust has settled a little, people are starting to ask questions about the future of theMetal Gearseries. Would it be okay for Konami to continue it without him or would they be better off rebooting it and starting from scratch? With nearly half a decade having passed since the release ofMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it’s a choice that Konami is going to have to make sooner rather than later. Looking at the bigger picture, there are certainly plenty of pros and cons for each side.
10Reboot: Hideo Kojima’s Departure From Konami
To many, Hideo KojimaisMetal Gear. With this in mind, having somebody else continue his story just wouldn’t feel right to many players. Given how complex the story is, finding somebody capable of even attempting to fill Kojima’s shoes would be challenging enough in itself.
A reboot would be a great way to draw a line under Kojima’sMetal Gearand start something new. Further distancing themselves from Kojima and the unceremonious manner in which the two parties split could only be a good thing for both Konami and theMetal Gearseries.
9Continue: There’s Already A Strong Fan Base
The series' fan base has been built up through decades of hard work and so to risk damaging it unnecessarily seems somewhat foolish. It’s difficult to predict how fans will respond to even minor changes, let alone a complete reboot.
Games likeDuke Nukem Foreverand the god-awfulBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Boltsare great examples of how a poor reboot can damage the perception of a series. Given Konami’s recent track record, a half-hearted reboot certainly isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. Were this to happen, it could destroy theMetal Gearlegacy.
8Reboot: The Story Has Become Incredibly Convoluted
The Metal Gear Series has one of the mostoverly complicated storiesin all of gaming. Trying to keep track of everything that’s happened so far requires way too much work for most casual gamers. Add to this the fact that the huge amount of existing lore seriously limits the direction that any future narrative could take and rebooting the series starts to make a lot more sense.
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A reboot would bring with it a new story and an opportunity to avoidover-complicating it with bizarre plot twists. Even if Konami continued with the tradition of including such twists, the blank slate would at least mean that it would take a while before the series' story had players scratching their heads.
7Continue: A Lot Of Work Has Been Put Into The Story
Complicated though it may be, the lore of Metal Gear has taken decades to establish. The idea of throwing all of that out and starting from scratch likely won’t sit too well with some of the higher-ups at Konami, nor theMetal Gearfan base. Some of the more bizarre elements aside,Metal Gear’s story is an incredibly interesting one.
Rebooting the story would lead to constant comparisons being made to the original, not to mention the potential backlash that would likely ensue if key story beats were altered or removed. Changing the story too drastically might also lead to a game that’s so far removed fromMetal Gearthat it may as well be a brand new IP.
6Reboot: The Huge Advancements In Technology
Gaming has come a long way sinceMetal Gearfirst released for the NES back in the late 80’s. Even the PS1 classicMetal Gear Solidisstarting to show its agea little. Starting from scratch on modern consoles would allow Konami to once again create groundbreakingMetal Geargames that aren’t constrained in any way by the titles that came before it.
While it’s still possible for gamers to go back and play the original titles, many of the mechanics found throughout the series are incredibly dated by modern standards. As examples of gaming’s history or a nice nostalgia trip for fans, they’re perfectly serviceable. It’s unlikely, however, that these games will be drawing in too many new fans to the series.
5Continue: A Reboot Could Be Seen As Disrespectful
While it’s possible that a reboot would attract a new audience, some long-time series fans may not be interested. Given the work that Hideo Kojima put into creating theMetal Gearuniverse, some may see it as a huge sign of disrespect to effectively remake his life’s work with a new director at the helm.
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Of course, it’s just as likely that some of these fans may refuse to entertain the idea of anyMetal Geargame that doesn’t have Kojima’s name on it. Indeed, if the mediocre performance ofMetal Gear Surviveis anything to go by, even a continuation of the series may struggle to achieve the same success as earlierMetal Geartitles.
4Reboot: Many Gamers Haven’t Played Some Of The Earlier Titles
ShouldMetal Gear Solid 6ever see the light of day, that number at the end is going to be incredibly daunting to anybody who has never played aMetal Geargame. Knowing that they’ll have to play through five or more games to truly understand the overarching narrative (assuming such a thing is even possible) gives them a great excuse to just skip it.
This is not helped by the series' reputation for having incredibly long games. Perhaps were the original titles shorter in length, players might be willing to play through them or check them out on YouTube in order to catch up. It’s unlikely that too many people will be willing to invest the hundreds of hours needed to do so though. A reboot solves this problem entirely.
3Continue: There Are Some Great Characters In The Series
If the aim of a reboot was to create a more straightforward narrative, including some ofthe series' most iconic charactersmay prove to be difficult. People like Otacon, Psycho Mantis, and Revolver Ocelot are responsible for some of the series' most iconic moments and their loss would be huge to both fans and the series itself.
While it’s possible that Konami could simply write the story around these characters, this runs the risk of a narrative that feels forced. Conversely, making changes to the characters to fit a new narrative probably wouldn’t sit too well with many fans of the series.
2Reboot: The Series Is Getting Pretty Old
Metal Gearis one ofthe longest-running video game series of all timeand in many ways, its age is starting to show. While other long-running franchises have reinvented themselves time and time again over the years,Metal Gearhas always stuck quite rigidly to the same formula. Although little tweaks here and there have provided the illusion of freshness, it may be best to reboot now before the series starts to feel truly stale.
Games likeDoomandTomb Raiderare shining examples of how a good reboot can breathe new life into an ailing franchise. Konami needn’t completely reinvent the wheel or anything, but taking a look around at what other developers are doing might provide the inspiration they need to create an even betterMetal Gear.
1Continue: It’s Working Just Fine The Way It Is
Whether or not the series is broken is certainly a conversation worth having. The ending ofMetal Gear Solid Vis incredibly underwhelming compared to some of the series' earlier entries and the less said aboutMetal Gear: Survive, the better. Despite this, however,The Phantom Painwas the best sellingMetal Geargame ever.
With this being the case, it’s hard not to point towards that old adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ From a business point of view, Konami would be foolish to risk damaging one of their most valuable IPs. Onlya company with no regard for the legacies of their best workwould do such a thing.
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