No one really knows for sure if Hideo Kojima – or anyone for that matter – is working on a new addition to the Metal Gear series. If they aren’t though, Konami better start soon because their financial prospects are likely to plummet without the new title. A Japanese securities company raised Konami’s earnings projections by 15% for the 2014 fiscal year, based mainly on the assumption that Konami’s key franchise will be returning soon.
If MGS5 doesn’t materialize, it seems like the only thing buying Konami’s bottom line is their strong social games performance in Japan. 2013 is expected to be a particularly down year for traditional software sales, but Konami execs claim they are refocusing on developing console games for the coming years.
After what felt like a concentrated effort to tie up loose ends in Metal Gear Solid 4, where is there left to go with Solid Snake and his crew? Perhaps another trip to the past in the third installment? Maybe now is the opportunity to reboot the franchise with a new protagonist and a less convoluted backstory. Or maybe we’ll just be getting that Revolver Ocelot kart racer we’ve all been hoping for. Whatever Konami has planned for the series, it is becoming clear that the clock is ticking and that investors expect a new MGS title sooner rather than later.