I don’t particularly envy the team behind Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, who all have a very tricky PR situation to navigate. It’s been roughly a decade since Kojima’s departure from Konami, but fans remain largely loyal to the creative force behind the Metal Gear Solid series, and it’s the elephant in the room for most interviews about Delta: Snake Eater. Today, gaming reporter Jason Schreier secured a few new words from series producers on that subject, as well as a humorous anecdote regarding the remake’s development.
Veteran producer Noriaki Okamura responded to Bloomberg‘s query about Kojima by speaking broadly to the studio’s legacy, focusing on the idea that “a lot of people […] are still at Konami.“ While some are “chasing a dream outside the studio,” Okamura views it as Konami’s duty to “keep the legacy going.”
“There’s actually a lot of people who are still at Konami. Some have left, started doing their own thing, chasing a dream that they probably had for a while. One of the concepts that we have moving forward, and what we feel is our duty, is to keep the legacy going. We want to show our love and respect to those who worked on the games, and be able to make sure it still goes on.” – Noriaki Okamura
On a lighter note, creative producer Yuji Korekado, a programmer on the original Snake Eater, noted the difficulty of seeing younger programmers work with his old code. “It was so embarrassing, but it was great in that now they can take a look at how the game was originally made, and I can explain it to them.“
Delta Snake Eater Producer Addresses Kojima Indirectly
Okamura Focuses On The Bigger Picture
Rather than speaking directly about Hideo Kojima, Okamura focuses on the broader legacy of Metal Gear Solid‘s creative development. Kojima was certainly the defining force behind the games, but many other talents at Konami worked on them, a fact that Okamura highlights.
Kojima’s departure from Konami wasn’t a very pretty one, at least from the public angle, culminating in Konami apparently preventing him from attending the Game Awards on behalf of Metal Gear Solid 5. Until Delta: Snake Eater, the Metal Gear Solid series went dormant after his departure, with the only related game being the poorly received spin-off Metal Gear Survive.
The Franchise Is Back On Its Feet, But What Comes Next?
Delta: Snake Eater is enjoying a much more positive reception than Metal Gear Survive did, which could make it easier for Konami to move forward with the series in the future. At the same time, telling new mainline stories would pose a much greater challenge. It’s possible that Konami will focus on remaking other games in the franchise or developing new spin-offs rather than directly expanding the stories of Big Boss and Solid Snake.
Okamura’s carefully chosen words don’t provide an exceptional amount of insight, but along with Korekado’s description of revisiting his coding work, they highlight the affection for the franchise that still exists within Konami. I’m generally uninterested in Delta: Snake Eaterand any future Metal Gear Solid games without Kojima, but it’s certainly fair to acknowledge the effort that others put into the series.
