Kojima Looks Forward To Connected Games, Starting With MGSV: Ground Zeroes

Metal Gear Solid series director Hideo Kojima recently talked about how next-generation consoles will be of help to Metal Gear Solid V. Following that, during a PlayStation 4 Creator’s Interview, Kojima shared his thoughts on device connectivity and his hopes to see communication expand in the future of games.

Kojima starts out by talking about what Ground Zeroes is to Metal Gear Solid V, as a prologue to the main game that will be about 200 times larger.

“I think a game’s best charm lies within its interactivity, so each time a player does something, I believe it’s best met with various reactions,” says Kojima. “This time, we’re making a game with dynamic developments, where players will be able to think for themselves and execute their own strategies, which will in turn yield its own results in accordance with how they play.”

“It’s not about playing [the game] once and then finishing it, but instead, one mission might have various routes, so being able to have fun with it over and over, is another one of the things we’d like to offer with Metal Gear Solid V.”

“During the game, Snake will have a handset called ‘iDROID’ (above) and you’ll be able to bring it up on your own tablet or smartphone while playing the game,” says Kojima.

He goes on to explain that using the device the normal way with just your screen, could cause you to be attacked if sighted by enemies, as the game does not pause when you use the iDROID. However, by using a mobile device, you have the option to put the iDROID on a secondary screen, while you focus on the main screen yourself.

Additionally, you’ll also be able to use your acquired cassette tapes to listen to music or retrieve information to prepare yourself, even while you’re not playing the game itself.

One of the biggest parts of having an open-world game, according to Kojima, is about being able to “connect with others”. Since the game won’t be played in a linear fashion, you could have 100 players, which means 100 different ways of how players complete tasks, which he hopes will put the PlayStation 4’s Share feature to good use.

Kojima’s greatest wish for now is to see players play the new Metal Gear Solid with its free-roaming open world, and share their techniques and knowledge with fans from around the world.

“Video game consoles are usually found in the living room, and for the longest time, their world has been contained within that area,” says Kojima. “From now on, they’ll be jumping out of there. It’s almost as if consoles will be connecting to many other things, or making their way out of the house.”

“By using these functions, I believe that we’ll be able to make games with completely different feelings to them, or even a completely new game altogether. Even for our ‘core’ games, they can now have methods of communication. I think that’s their most exciting aspect, and I also believe that it will only grow from this point on.”

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on March 18th in North America and March 20th in Europe.