Konami did one hell of a hype build and drop for Metal Gear fans: a new online multiplayer mode is in the works for Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater! Announced during the Konami Press Start event, on one hand, some players are having a field day; on the other…well, shall we say “unhappy”?
Is it really “Fox Hunt,” or is it something else completely? Hard to say at this moment. All that was said in one of the official tweets from Konami was “Get ready to join the hunt,” and then there was a brief sneak peek of jungle environments and vehicles that appeared to be for some sort of team gameplay. But here’s the catch—Metal Gear fans were expecting something completely different: Return of Metal Gear Online (MGO).
And here the replies just exploded.
In waves, comments poured in demanding MGO, the multiplayer spin-off that debuted in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence and again in Metal Gear Solid 4. Some were quite furious, like @GingerDisruptif, who bluntly stated, “Cancelling my preorder. You should have made MGO.” Some others, such as @RonBurgundy24, went full-on sarcastic with their disdain: “Dev’s: ‘Trust us we’ll do right by the franchise, just give us time.’ Also Devs: Y’all love MGO? GFY!”
But not everyone was pulling off their pants. At least some, like @JasonMusgrave6, seemed willing to give the game a chance, tweeting, “I’m willing to give this a shot.” And then there’s @NonprofitMoth5, who loves what they saw: “This looks so good holy [expletive].”
But most? Not so much. @Xarkom sums it up perfectly: “You literally just had to re-release MGO1 with the engine upgrade and same lobby system. This mode might be fun but there is a whole community starving for a proper MGO.”
Even those optimistic comments had their doubts. @Ghost_Majestic opined that the new mode looks like an asset recycle from Metal Gear Online 3 (MGO3), the infamous multiplayer to Metal Gear Solid V. “Kinda interested to know why they’re opting to reuse the weapons from MGSV/MGO3 over MGS3/MGO1,” the comment read, “Hopefully the answer justifies itself.”
The big elephant in the room is more than that: Konami’s track record. And after Metal Gear Survive, one would be right to be cautious. @Official414 gave it without any sort of discretion: “Yall learned nothing from Survive I see.”
So, what’s next? Well, Konami still hasn’t really given a release date for Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, let alone a word on what Fox Hunt is going to play like. Battle royale? Tactical team shooter? Weird hybrid no one was asking for? Fade to black. But one thing is sure-if Konami really wants to rekindle with Metal Gear fans, then it’ll be one very long hard road.
For now, it is going to be a wait and watch if Fox Hunt ends up just filling MGO’s shoes—or just one more stain on Konami’s rocky history with its most passionate fanbase.
And hey, at least there are no pachinko rumors right now. Small win.
