Skip to main content

‘Metal Gear Survive’ contains a secret tribute to Hideo Kojima

1005Horatio/Reddit 1005Horatio/Reddit

Metal Gear Survive is now out in the wild, and by most accounts, it doesn’t hold a candle to the games directed by long-time Konami developer Hideo Kojima. Kojima was forced out of the company shortly after the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but some current Konami employees haven’t forgotten him, and they’ve included a tribute in Metal Gear Survive.

Recommended Videos

At the beginning of the game, several mercenaries’ names are visible on a clipboard, including your own character near the middle. If you look directly above that name, you’ll see the last initials of the next three characters spell out “KJP.” Underneath your name, the next seven spell out the word “forever.”

The last two names on the list are “Bastard Yota” and “Cunning Yuji,” referring to director Yota Tsutsumizaki and producer Yuji Korekado. Presumably, they’re the two responsible for the Easter egg.

“KJP” is an obvious reference to Kojima Productions, the studio responsible for making the Metal Gear series before Kojima left Konami. A new studio with the same name has since opened, and is now partnered with Sony to develop the PlayStation 4 game Death Stranding. A number of former Konami employees, including character designers and artists, have also joined Kojima Productions.

Metal Gear Survive has attracted negative attention ever since it was first announced, and the game didn’t manage to make much of an impact on the sales charts. In the United Kingdom, the retail version of the game debuted in sixth place, with first-week sales down 85 percent compared to 2013’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The game’s use of an always-online connection and microtransactions haven’t helped its case. If you wish to have a second character without deleting your original one first, you’ll have to spend 1,000 “Survival Coins.” This currency is purchased with real money, and buying enough to unlock the character slot will set you back $10. The game itself is below full retail price, selling for $40.

Metal Gear Survive is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. On a standard Xbox One console, performance issues have been reported, and some framerate issues also remain when played on the Xbox One X.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection contains first 2 Metal Gear games, Konami confirms
metal gear solid master collection extra games

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 will contain two more games than expected, according to its PlayStation Store listing and a statement that the game's publisher, Konami, provided to Digital Trends. Those titles are the original Metal Gear and its follow-up, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

You might have missed the announcement of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 during the PlayStation Showcase. An image that appeared briefly following the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's announcement confirmed the collection and revealed it would feature Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
The PlayStation Store listing goes into a lot more detail about what versions of what games are actually included in this collection. It confirms that Master Collection Vol. 1 will include the HD Collection versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, in addition to a version of Metal Gear Solid that also features the VR and Special Missions, but it also states that the package includes the first two games in the Metal Gear series.
Digital Trends contacted Konami to affirm that this PlayStation Store listing was accurate, and a PR representative confirmed that "for the Collection, the PS Store listing is correct."
While Metal Gear Solid is when Hideo Kojima's stealth espionage series went mainstream, it actually began when Konami released Metal Gear on the MSX2 in Japan and Europe in 1987. This game, along with its 1990 Japan-only follow-up, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, are top-down stealth games where players infiltrate enemy bases as Solid Snake. These games laid the groundwork for the Metal Gear Solid series' lore, and they are still canon within the wider series. As such, it's great to see these games present in the collection, as they've only really ever been available as bonuses in rereleases of Metal Gear Solid 3.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 launches this autumn. 

Read more
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is getting a full remake on PS5, Xbox, and PC
A promo image for Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is getting a modern remake. Revealed at today's PlayStation Showcase, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a new remake from Konami. It doesn't have a release date yet, but a Metal Gear Solid remaster collection is coming this fall.

Rumors of a Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater began to pop up earlier this year, with some teasing that the game would be present at the PlayStation Showcase. Those rumors proved true as the project got a trailer during Sony's big show. The game is also coming to Xbox and PC.

Read more
Hideo Kojima NFT scare ends with physical collectible confirmation
Kojima's mascot, Luden's helmet close up.

With plenty of gaming companies going into the NFT market, fans are constantly on high alert to see which developer will embrace the controversial technology next. Yesterday, rumors that Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima was jumping into the non-fungible world blew up thanks to a tease from an NFT adjacent company, Anicorn. Turns out, it was all just for a physical collectible from Kojima Productions and Anicorn.

The original announcement led to a lot of concern among Hideo Kojima's fanbase. Anicorn makes physical products like watches but also creates NFTs. Because the first tweet teasing the collaboration was vague, replies to it were full of prayers that the project wouldn't be an NFT announcement or anything related to the metaverse.

Read more