Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, the prologue to the even larger MGSV: The Phantom Pain, may be coming out next year, but don’t expect The Phantom Pain to come soon after. According to series creator Hideo Kojima, that title requires a little more time.
Speaking to Famitsu (via Siliconera) Kojima explained that Ground Zeroes is meant to grab the attention of players and lead into the following game.
“If I were to put it in Hollywood movie terms, the prologue, that is Ground Zeroes, would be similar to the first 10-15 minutes that are meant to ‘captivate’ [the audience],” said Kojima. “At first, something will happen, then the title will appear like ‘bam!’ and then nine years later, a big event will be the start [of Metal Gear Solid V]. That’s how the story will be connected.”
Initially, Kojima and Konami thought it would be better to keep Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain together and release them at the same time, but would’ve meant a longer wait for fans.
“However, The Phantom Pain has enormous volume, so it will require much more time,” added Kojima. “So, together with the marketing staff, we consulted ‘what ifs’ and such, and came to the decision of allowing fans to at least play the prologue, ahead of time.”
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is set to release next Spring for PS3/4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.