The cumulative sales of the Metal Gear series have now topped 58 million copies.
The confirmation comes via franchise owner Konami, which recently celebrated the fan-favorite series' achievements in a new financial report on the company's corporate website.
From Metal Gear's launch way back in 1987 - and despite pulling both Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 from sale back in November following licensing issues with the historical archive footage used in the games (an issue the publisher has seemingly yet to resolve) - the game's various installments, spin-offs, and remakes have sold just shy of 60 million copies.
Interestingly, Snake's escapades are half of that of Konami's tentpole series, eFootball – the soccer game formerly known as PES – which has clocked up a staggering 112.5 million sales despite launching almost a decade after the first Metal Gear game.
It's especially intriguing when you factor in the fact eFootball 2022 was launched as the new – and free-to-play – successor of Pro Evolution Soccer, but quickly became one of the worst-reviewed Steam games of all time. After an embarrassing litany of bugs, glitches, and peculiarities, Konami issued a public apology for the issues eFootball 2022 players faced at launch.
It's reported that Konami president Hideki Haykawa made the decision to bring Kojima on board - even as an advisor rather than its long-time director - in order to ensure it appeals to long-standing fans of the stealth series and bolster sales.
Check out our Metal Gear Solid 6 wishlist for everything we'd like to see from a new entry in Konami's beloved series.
