Warning: Spoilers for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to follow!
The official Metal Gear Twitter account responded to several inquiries about The Definitive Edition, with many players wondering if Konami had planned to revive a scrapped third chapter in the game that would have seen Eli — a child soldier who later becomes Solid Snake’s nemesis — escape from the Diamond Dogs and launch a large-scale attack of his own.
“The ending isn’t and never has been missing, but this is a prequel game to Metal Gear,” says Konami on Twitter. “The ending is found in the missions within. Many threads continue in Metal Gear and subsequent games.”
The company remains adamant that the canceled final mission (51) was “additional story content” and was never meant to end the narrative.
The pacing and content of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain‘s second chapter certainly suggests that the third chapter was originally intended to serve as the game’s conclusion. A shocking narrative twist occurs during the second chapter, but several loose ends are still left by the time the credits roll (again).
Though the recently revealed cooperative shooter Metal Gear Survive may not deliver the same narrative-focused experience of Hideo Kojima’s games, it at least hints that Konami could continue the series in the future. Perhaps that lost third chapter will eventually see the light of day. We can only hope.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience hits Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 11.
