Metal Gear Solid: Rising will mean a “level third-party playing field” between rival consoles the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3, according to Shane Kim, corporate VP, strategy and business development, interactive entertainment, Microsoft.
What it appears Kim means is that finally Microsoft Xbox 360 owners will be able to play a Metal Gear Solid game on their console. But notably, it won’t be Metal Gear Solid 4 or the “true” Metal Gear Solid sequel Peace Walker. Rising won’t even feature heavy involvement from series creator Hideo Kojima. Hardly seems like a level playing field on that score.
Of course, Microsoft have scored notable success on tilting the playing field its way. While the Sony PS3 may have top series including Metal Gear Solid (until now), Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet all to themselves, the Microsoft Xbox 360 has plenty of ammunition too with Halo, Gears Of War, Left 4 Dead, Mass Effect and Crackdown among others. And there’s the Xbox Live downloadable content exclusives Microsoft has garnered from Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3 etc.
Kim told Gamasutra: “I think we have to broaden our definition of exclusive content. It has to include things like Xbox Live, because I do think Xbox Live is a real competitive differentiator for us. And Project Natal is going to be an exclusive thing, too.”
Metal Gear Solid: Rising does represent a coup for Microsoft. Kim believes: “The economics are such that third parties can’t ignore Xbox 360. It’s the second leading platform.” But that appears to be far from certain for Konami and Kojima Productions.
Microsoft Xbox 360 owners remain unable to play Metal Gear Solid 4, and there seems little to dispel the impression that Metal Gear Solid: Rising only came to the Microsoft Xbox 360 after much financial persuasion from Microsoft, with no public guarantee that the Metal Gear Solid series going forward will remain multi-platform.
Out TBA | £TBA | Metal Gear Solid: Rising
