Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes dated

Konami has revealed a launch date for {Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes}, with The Phantom Pain prologue set to launch on March 18. The announcement came at the same time as a trailer for the Xbox-exclusive mission, which is called "Jamais Vu", and stars Raiden.

Hideo Kojima, the series creator and director of {Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain} (and {Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes}) has also been discussing his thoughts on the future of the series, and reflecting on franchise's history.

During the interview on Xbox Wire (which also contained the trailer attached below) Kojima was asked what it was that most excited him about working with next-gen hardware. "I'm most looking forward to the "pseudo-cloud" era that the next generation of hardware will bring," he explained. "It's still one step away from the "true" cloud revolution, but it will allow players to interact with their games, and each other in new and exciting ways using multiple devices such as tablets and smart devices. Social experiences and player interaction are what will drive the next wave of games."

"Technology is at a crossroads, facilitating evolution perpendicular to the path we've taken thus far," said Kojima when asked about how the new hardware would impact MGS specifically. "It's not just about the next level of gaming hardware anymore, it's about how that hardware will allow games to interact with multiple devices and SNS platforms. Technology is fanning out in a horizontal direction as opposed to the vertical evolution of the past."

An interesting answer came when he was asked which of the characters from the series was his favourite: "It's a tough call, but maybe Otacon? He's a character who proudly identifies himself as an "Otaku" (Japanese for "geek"), but is still able to survive and hold his own in the midst of all these amazing heroic characters, despite the fact that he himself never engages in battle. Back when we were making the original "Metal Gear Solid," it was risky to include a character like his in the game, but I think it's precisely because of his inability to fit in that people have grown attached to him. He's become a sort of lovable mascot for geeks (otaku) the world over."

Kojima also expressed his thoughts on what he believes the essence of the MGS series is. He described it as: "stealth and the desire to convey a meaningful message to the player. The way these elements are implemented may vary, but they'll always be there. In that regard, my approach to "Metal Gear Solid V" is no different from before."

Despite the phrase "open-world" being mentioned repeatedly with regards to The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes, Kojima was keen to explain how his studio's interpretation of that idea will inform the game: "My vision for "MGSV" does differ a bit from what most people may assume when they think of the current "Open-World" genre. A more accurate way to describe it would be a "stealth simulator" in an open world environment. The open world elements exist to remove the rails from the stealth experience, allowing players to freely plan their own routes and experiment with their own unique infiltration strategies. However, at its heart, the gameplay is all about stealth and we don't intend to shift the focus away from that."

He concludes the interview by saying that although he can't see himself at the helm of the franchise in 25 years time he can "easily imagine a world 25 years from now where a new "MGS" franchise continues onward into the future."