The Truth About Metal Gear Solid X Special @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on January 24, 2002

Special: The Truth is Out There

Metal Gear Solid X.

Has there ever been a game in videogame history that has had this many rumors swirling around its existence? I really doubt it, but the key is to sift through all of the rumors, speculation, and official announcements to find out exactly what is truth and what is fiction. So, without further adieu -- the long strange trip of Metal Gear Solid X.

The Official Announcement On September 21, 2000 Konami of Japan made the official announcement that they were developing Metal Gear Solid X (Story - GameSpot). The only other detail Konami released in that initial press release was that the game would be a "sequel" to Metal Gear Solid. There was no specific mention of whether the game would be a port of the then upcoming Metal Gear Solid 2, or if it would be an entirely brand new game.

The plot would thicken five months later when Konami released another press release. They announced that metal Gear Solid X would be a combination of elements from both Metal Gear Solid and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 2. The problem was that more than a few news sites translated the release as saying Konami held a press conference. But there never was a press conference. This is where the problem comes in; it caused a lot people to call the whole thing a lie. However, Konami did confirm the press release was real and they also said that the video game world would learn more at E3 that May (Story - Computer and Video Games).

This whole thing turned into the incident that it has become today when five days later SonyWeb held an interview with Hideo Kojima (Story - SonyWeb). They questioned him about these new rumors concerning Metal Gear Solid X and his response was a little disappointing to Xbox fans:

"First of all, Konami USA and Konami Europe don't have any information on this whatsoever. I don't know if they've commented yet, but if they have you can take it from me that it's nonsense because we ourselves haven't made a decision on that yet. Right now we're just too busy working on the PS2 game I'm afraid!"

So the driving creative force behind the Metal Gear Solid series went on the record and said he had made no decision about anything related to Metal Gear Solid X. This was the first and only time Kojima has spoken publicly about Metal Gear Solid X. This was February 7, 2001.

The Blackout Since that day, no one from Konami has made any official statements regarding Metal Gear Solid X, nor released any screenshots or even speculated on a release date. E3 2001 came and went. Konami's promised education on what Metal Gear Solid X was never happened. Rumors circulated that Konami would release the details of Metal Gear Solid X after the release of Metal Gear Solid 2. But the release of Metal Gear Solid 2 for the Playstation 2 came and went, still no new information. Still, others speculate that the one-year worldwide exclusivity contract Konami signed with Sony prevents them from even discussing the game, which is certainly a possibility.

Today Recently Konami has announced release dates for a slew of Xbox games (Story - XboxWeb). Sad to say, but Metal Gear Solid X was not on the list. Checking Konami's North American Release Schedule turns up the sad fact that Metal Gear Solid X is no longer on the list. There's a little hope to be found in Konami's Japanese Release Schedule. If you can't read Japanese, run the page through a translator and you'll see Metal Gear Solid X is listed at the very bottom with an "Undecided" release date. However, the sad fact remains this small listing is the only mention of it Konami makes on their web site.

Just last week, Hideo Kojima was interviewed for the first time since the release of Metal Gear Solid 2 (Story - Computer and Video Games). Kojima was asked point blank -- where do he and Konami stand on the development of Metal Gear Solid X? The response came back: NO COMMENT.

After sifting through the facts, the rumors, and the pure speculation, very little is still known about Metal Gear Solid X. A Christmas-time release date is the newest rumor making the rounds on the net today. But the truth is that we don't have any clue as to what Konami has planned for the Xbox incarnation of the series. We do know Sony has a worldwide exclusivity contract that doesn't expire until March 8, 2003 (one year from the European release date of Metal Gear Solid 2). We do know Konami hasn't commented publicly on the game since February 2, almost a year ago. We do know Hideo Kojima has stated repeatedly that he won't have any more involvement with the Metal Gear series. And lastly, we also know Microsoft is notorious for demanding that the details of Xbox games be kept secret until the very last minute.

My Opinion I believe that Metal Gear Solid X is a code name Konami uses for any project related to the Metal Gear series on the Xbox. I also think that this year's E3 is almost the last chance Konami will get to make an announcement about Metal Gear Solid X before it'll be too late. I also think that whatever shape Metal Gear Solid X takes; it will not be a port of Metal Gear Solid 2. It's also important to note this wouldn't be the first game that was announced and then no other information was ever released.

The End The truth is, though, that nobody knows anything concrete about this game besides what is in The Official Announcement section. Konami might very well be working on the game in secret.

But the truth, the truth is still out there somewhere.