Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is now saying farewell to the series in a touching 10-minute Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain video.
The highly-anticipated Metal Gear Solid V not only took longer to launch than expected, but it also signaled a severe fallout between the series creator and Konami, the publisher.
Kojima's name was no longer featured on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain packaging or marketing materials, his Kojima Productions studio fell apart, and his Silent Hills horror game, made with Guillermo del Toro, got canceled.
All signs indicated that Konami severed its ties with Kojima, but this week the publisher seems to have a friendlier attitude. After publicly congratulating Kojima on Twitter, praising his "amazing game," Konami posted the new Metal gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain video that seems like an emotional tribute both to and from Kojima.
The first part of the video centers on appreciating Kojima's work, talent and innovative vision, featuring various people connected to the Metal Gear V project. The designer himself explains what Metal Gear 5 means to him, especially since he never thought the series would span over so many years.
"It's a path that no one has really taken before," Kojima says about the new Metal Gear Solid V. "A vision that could only be realized in the form of the game. And it works only because the series has been continuing for 28 years."
The last few minutes of the video, meanwhile, show the Japanese designer visiting the family of a Metal Gear fan who passed away. More specifically, in "One final report to a very special person," Kojima visits the home of Sean Paul Gillespie, a fan who lost the battle with cancer back in February 2015, at just 21.
As he's greeted by the Sean's family, he designer recalls getting an email from Sean last December, when Kojima Productions was busy working to complete the latest installment in the Metal Gear series. According to Kojima, the project was in the toughest phase at that point, but Sean's email was a powerful motivator for the team.
"On behalf of the entire team, I would like to express our thanks and announce that the game is complete," Kojima tells Sean's family.
Kojima further apologizes that it took so long to develop Metal Gear Solid V, and thanks all fans for their great support. Check out the video below.
