'Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain' News: Kojima Departure Won't Affect Game's September Release Date
While Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions will no longer be working with Konami, the completed "Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain" will still be released in the last quarter of 2015.
Hideo Kojima has announced he will no longer be affiliated with Konami following "Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain," but revealed the game will be his best work so far, and enjoined fans to expect its release on Sept. 1 this year for Xbox One, and Sept.15 for PC.
Despite his strained relationship with the publisher, the series creator has assured fans he will see the fifth installment of the popular open world action adventure video game to its finish.
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Fans of the game had earlier despaired over the long awaited sequel to 2008's "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" after friction between Kojima and Konami resulted in the publisher removing Kojima's name from the game's marketing materials and older titles of the "Metal Gear Solid" titles.
After enormous backlash from fans, Konami later realizing the legendary video game designer's name was synonymous with the franchise, and it reinstated his name on the games' titles, but abruptly canceled Kojima Station, its popular video webcast series by Kojima Productions hosted on the Konami website.
With the release date for "Phantom Pain" on the horizon, new reports have emerged the current gen game versions will allow a multiplayer environment with up to 16 players battling it out in stealth-oriented encounters. PS 3 and Xbox 360 will feature lower player counts, but will still accept a 12-player maximum in a single game.
The game will also give players the option to use any number of skins during gameplay, including Snake, Ocelot, and other generic mercenaries. Players will also be enjoying the use of different mechs and invisibility devices, and can even deploy a cute puppy to distract their opponents.
Fans of the franchise should expect a more detailed reveal of the game's full specifications at the E3 2015 in Los Angeles in June where Kojima may or may not be present to unveil his last project for Konami.
