Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes was supposed to have an episodic format

In Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zero ninth anniversary, developer Hideo Kojima reflected on the game’s development, revealing that he was meant to “experiment” with an episodic format for the series.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes was originally planned as a prologue to MGS 5.

Kojima said Ground Zeroes was originally envisioned as a prologue to MGS 5, introducing players to Snake’s Revenge. The general theme would be that of retribution. The game’s release came shortly after the PS4’s release, so Kojima “pre-released” Ground Zeroes to showcase the new MGS and get feedback on the game, its open world, and Fox Engine.

“Developing a full game takes 4-5 years,” Kojima wrote. “Times change during production, so I thought of coming up with an episodic format, like a broadcast drama, where an episode is produced and distributed. GZ was meant to be an experience.”

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9 years since its release! GZ was originally planned as a prologue to MGSV. GZ was originally planned as a prologue to MGSV, a major introduction to Root Snake’s (the player) revenge in the main story, and the theme of MGSV is retribution. pic.twitter.com/3M1znrbbtG

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 20, 2023

Reflecting on the eventual release of Ground Zeroes, Kojima acknowledged that players didn’t understand the intent behind the release, and there was some disappointment that it wasn’t considered a complete game and that it was thought to have been published too soon.

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