Hideo Kojima Absent from Metal Gear Solid Master Collection’s New Credits

The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 is set to release on October 24, 2023, for multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, and PC via Steam. The collection will feature the first three Metal Gear Solid games, as well as additional content like digital graphic novels and strategy guides. However, one notable omission has caught the attention of fans: the absence of Hideo Kojima’s name in the new credits for the collection.

Hideo Kojima, the visionary behind the Metal Gear Solid series, had a falling out with Konami during the development of Metal Gear Solid 5. This led to Kojima severing his ties with the publisher. Despite this, Kojima’s name still appears in the credits of the individual games included in the collection, as these are essentially ports of the original games with minimal changes.

Multiple players who have received early copies of the game and have been streaming it on Twitch have confirmed that Kojima’s name is missing from the new credits. Not only is Kojima’s name absent, but the credits also do not mention David Hayter or the rest of the original cast. Instead, the new credits simply extend thanks to “all original Metal Gear series staff and fans.”

While Konami is not legally obligated to include Kojima’s name in the credits for re-releases of its games, the absence is noteworthy. This is not the first instance where a remaster or re-release has failed to acknowledge the original creators by name, sparking discussions about the ethics of such omissions.

The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 will include the first three Metal Gear Solid games, the original MSX2 versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, and the NES games Metal Gear and Snake’s Revenge. Additional content such as digital graphic novels, screenplay books, master books with story and character information, strategy guides for each game, and a digital soundtrack will also be part of the collection.