‘Metal Gear Survive’ pushes the series forward without creator Kojima

By Danny Cowan Published August 17, 2016

Konami today announced the upcoming launch of Metal Gear Survive, a four-player co-operative stealth game that pits surviving members of Militaires Sans Frontières against undead armies in an alternate universe.

Konami’s sudden shift in tone for the series arrives after last year’s high-profile departure of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, who has since joined up with Sony to produce the new franchise Death Stranding. Metal Gear Survive is the first post-Metal Gear Solid V series sequel designed without Kojima’s input.

Recommended Videos

A trailer for Metal Gear Survive released today begins with the ending cutscene from Metal Gear Solid V‘s prologue chapter, Ground Zeroes. Fresh off of a high-stakes extraction mission, starring character Snake and his private army Militaires Sans Frontières find themselves bombarded by firepower from an unknown force. The storyline in last year’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain picks up nine years after the attack as Snake awakens from a coma.

Today’s trailer quickly veers away from established series lore, however, when a wormhole opens up above the destroyed Militaires Sans Frontières base and begins abducting survivors. After being sucked through the portal, the surviving mercenaries find themselves face to face with a new threat: superpowered zombies who shrug off traditional firepower. The survivors band together with improvised weaponry as they search for a way home.

Series creator Hideo Kojima famously left publisher Konami in 2015 after a 30-year tenure, with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain serving as his last credited work for the company. Kojima’s sudden departure also resulted in the cancellation of Silent Hills, a highly anticipated series reboot featuring input from film director Guillermo del Toro.

Fan reaction to today’s Metal Gear Survive reveal is overwhelmingly negative, recalling recent marketing missteps with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Mighty No. 9. As of this writing, the game’s debut trailer has earned around 4,000 likes compared to almost 28,000 dislikes on YouTube.

Metal Gear Survive launches in 2017 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PCs via Steam.

Former Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Topics

Gaming

Apple is apparently readying Beats-branded game controllers for the iPhone

The controllers have reportedly been in development for more than a year and could take on popular third-party iPhone accessories.

Closeup of buttons on Backbone Pro controller.

The year 2026 is proving to be the one when Apple's product portfolio expands dramatically. Apple has already launched its first foldable phone and an uber-affordable laptop so far. Later this year, the company is expected to launch an overhauled MacBook with a touchscreen and plenty of other changes, followed by new smart home devices. It seems the company is also eyeing the gaming segment pretty keenly.

According to Bloomberg, which cites data gleaned from Apple's code, the company is planning to launch two game controllers. But instead of the Apple branding, these would hit the shelves carrying the Beats logo, which has so far been reserved predominantly for audio gear.

Gaming

StarCraft is leaving its RTS roots for an open-world shooter, and I’m cautiously optimistic

StarCraft without the RTS? I think Blizzard is making the right call

StarCraft New Open World Game Featured

Blizzard finally brought the franchise back at BlizzCon 2026, only to reveal that the next game isn't the RTS sequel people have waited more than a decade for. Considering the history of the franchise, I can understand why some StarCraft fans are upset.

Simply titled StarCraft, the 2030 release is instead a story-driven, open-world shooter set in the Koprulu Sector around 70 years after StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. We haven't even seen gameplay yet, and yet it's a big departure for a franchise whose identity is practically synonymous with real-time strategy. I also think it may be exactly what StarCraft needs. But I say this with a lot of caution, and even more hope.

Gaming

1001 Threads of Mizan could be the Prince of Persia fix I’ve been waiting for

After getting hands-on with MBC Game Studio’s Gamescom demo, I came away genuinely impressed by its world, combat and flying-carpet madness.

1001 Threads of Mizan Gamescom 2026 Hands On Demo Featured

When 1001 Threads of Mizan was announced at Gamescom, it immediately caught my attention. Not just because it looked good, but because it arrived at an interesting time for anyone craving an adventure rooted in Arabic folklore and aesthetics. With Ubisoft's Prince of Persia remake cancelled, MBC Game Studio's debut feels like it has wandered into a gap that has been sitting there for far too long.

And unlike the usual Gamescom routine of watching a trailer, grabbing some swag and moving along, MBC Game Studio actually put a controller in my hands. The team walked us through the story and lore before letting us play the pre-alpha demo ourselves. That made the reveal considerably more interesting because I wasn't just watching Mizan -- I was actually playing it.