What you need to know
- It has been rumored for a while that Metal Gear Solid 3 is getting the remake treatment.
- Konami is already working with Bloober Team to remake another of its classic games in the form of Silent Hill 2.
- I'd heard the rumors myself recently, and have now been able to hard-confirm that the remake is real, and it's coming to Xbox and PC as well as PlayStation, despite a marketing deal.
- Update: I've also heard that Metal Gear Solid will also be getting a "Classic Collection," containing the original Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3. Also for a multiplatform release. The Classic Collection may be announced next month in June.
Update (May 24, 2023): Since writing about this, we received information about a Metal Gear Solid "Classic Collection," comprising the original Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3. These games would also be multiplatform, remastered in HD. This could explain why MGS2+3 HD Collection has been unavailable for purchase on Xbox for some time, despite being backward compatible. From what I've heard, the Classic Collection will be announced at a later date, possibly next month.
Update 2: Since a few people were asking me, I've heard that Metal Gear Solid 4 won't be included in any prospective Classic Collection re-releases. I don't know the exact reason, but I presume this is at least in part due to the game's unique structure as a native PS3 game. The Classic Collection may also come in volumes, based on what I've heard, with Metal Gear Rising, PeaceWalker, and other spin-offs like Portable Ops hitting as part of a "Vol. 2" Classic Collection. Some of the details on the Classic Collection are a bit murky, so take it with a grain of salt. MGS1-3 re-releases are almost certainly in, though.
Original article:
A short while ago, rumors began to swirl that Metal Gear Solid 3 could be getting the remake treatment. I am now able to independently hard-confirm said rumors.
First reported by Andy Robinson at VGC, Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake will give the classic stealth action game a modern makeover, as part of Konami's push to return to AAA gaming. Metal Gear Solid 3 is widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time and among the greatest Metal Gear Solid titles, penned by Hideo Kojima. Kojima no longer works with Konami following a high-profile breakup after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Kojima has since founded a new studio and released the acclaimed adventure title Death Stranding, with an Xbox exclusive dubbed Overdose in the works. It's unknown exactly who is working on the Metal Gear Solid 3 revival, but we can independently confirm that the game will arrive on Xbox as well as PlayStation and PC.
After confirming that I'd heard similar rumors (that may also include a Castlevania revival), I mentioned on my Xbox Two Podcast a couple of weeks ago that Metal Gear Solid 3 might be multiplatform, despite some previous assumptions that it would be PlayStation exclusive. I wasn't 100% sure at the time, hence no report. Since then, Insider Gaming came out with a report stating that it would indeed be multiplatform, and I have since also hard-confirmed that the rumors I'd heard were true.
The original Metal Gear Solid 3 is set during the Cold War, and follows Snake deep into the wilderness of Tselinoyarsk, in the former Soviet Union. With the U.S. and the USSR on the brink of nuclear war, Snake is dropped deep behind enemy lines to sabotage rogue entities who seek to instigate the conflict.
Metal Gear Solid 3 launched originally on the PS2 back in 2004. Subsequent versions improved the camera controls, solidifying its place as one of Snake's greatest expeditions. The extent to which this incarnation of Metal Gear Solid 3 is "remake" or "remaster" is unclear, but I would suspect it'll fall somewhere in-line with the work Bloober Team is doing on Silent Hill 2.
Metal Gear Solid 3 has already had a few revisions since launch. It re-emerged as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection during the Xbox 360 era, which comprised MGS2, Peace Walker, and MGS3. The Metal Gear Solid 2+3 HD Collection is available on Xbox's backward compatibility program — but has been unavailable to purchase digitally for quite some time, possibly due to licensing issues. If you have the disc, you should be able to play it on an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console. The MGS HD Collection is pretty pricey over on eBay, due to its increasing rarity.
In any case, if the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake proves successful, it's not a stretch to imagine that Konami won't seek to do similar to Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2, and possibly even Peacewalker and Metal Gear Solid 4. It's almost certain that we'll see MGS3 revealed at the hotly anticipated PlayStation Showcase, set to take place on May 24, 2023, at 4 PM ET.
