Metal Gear series artist claims Konami canned a game in 2019 after months of development

Metal Gear Solid movie
(Image credit: Konami)

A former Metal Gear Solid developer has claimed a project was cancelled at Konami back in 2019.

Over the weekend, it was noted that former Metal Gear series artist and co-director, Ikuya Nakamura, made several tweets referencing an unannounced project at Konami in late 2020. Apparently, one tweet in particular from Nakamura makes mention of a project that was in development for a number of months at Konami in 2019, before being cancelled.

Further tweets from Nakamura indicate that this project was apparently the revival of a specific IP. There aren't any indications as to what this property could be, but further tweets from Nakamura indicate that this project might have been scrapped in favor of developing a brand new title at Konami in the following year.

It's a little difficult to speculate as to what Nakamura could be referring to with these tweets. However, it's interesting to note that the artist has spent virtually his entire career developing the Metal Gear series at Konami, working as an artist on the original Metal Gear Solid all the way through to Metal Gear Survive in 2018, while also stepping into production roles for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes.

For now though, we'll have to wait a while longer to see if Snake ever does end up returning in any form. While there's no confirmation in Nakamura's tweets that Konami was developing a new Metal Gear Solid game in 2019, the possibility is undoubtedly there, especially from someone who's lengthy career is so intertwined with the beloved series.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.