Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has been out for over a year now, and it seems to keep providing Easter eggs. One major Easter egg that may hint at the recent strife between Konami and Director Hideo Kojima was recently found by YouTube user “timeSplitter88.”
In the Metal Gear Solid throwback mission “Deja Vu,” you’re given a weapon with a blue light that erases words found throughout the level. Those words aren’t random though, they’re all past titles and logos from Metal Gear’s history.
Hideo Kojima had nothing to do with some of those games, such as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance or Metal Gear Acid, so they can’t be erased by the light. However, the ones designed by Kojima, such as Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, can be erased. Once you’ve deleted all the titles created by Hideo Kojima, players get a message from Kaz reminding them to cherish their memories. Kojima himself then comes on the com to thank you for your support.
The “Deja Vu” mission has been available since the release of the game, originally exclusive to PlayStation consoles before coming to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One several months later. But it seems that no one put together the possible hidden meaning of erasing all the titles until now. It seems likely that everyone at Kojima Productions knew they were getting the boot months before the information became public.
Since the release of Ground Zeroes, Konami has removed “A Hideo Kojima Game” from all marketing and packaging for both Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. No one outside of Konami knows why this messy divorce is happening, though I’ve got a good feeling once it becomes official after the release of The Phantom Pain, Kojima won’t remain silent for long.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be released on September 1.
