The Metal Gear Solid franchise is known for having a story that can be quite convoluted, to say the least. In a new interview with Kotaku, series creator Hideo Kojima discussed how the plot of the upcoming Metal gear Solid 5 will fit into the overall mythology of the series, and he had some interesting answers to share.
He compared the series to the Star Wars series, in that the game will have to fit into the middle of an existing series and some minor plot details might contradict the stories told in previous games:
"I'm pretty sure that the guys at Star Wars had the same issues...When you try to write something that was supposed to be in the middle there will be some inconsistencies when you go into very small details."
In terms of the series' overall chronology, Metal Gear Solid 5 takes place after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3, but before the events of Metal gear Solid 1. Instead of focussing on ensuring the plots of the games line up, Kojima said that he is focused more on making sure the plot of Metal Gear Solid 5 is the best it can be:
"The most important part is writing something that is fun, something that is impressive, something that is better than it was before...So sometimes in the interest of doing this, of having a better experience, we sacrifice some consistencies in the story. I hope the fans and players understand this, but I need to write the best we can, even if there are some small discrepancies."
It is unclear what plot details from Metal Gear Solid 5 will contradict previous entries in the series.
Metal Gear Solid 5 will have two distinct games that will make up the complete story of the game. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes will serve as a prequel to the main game, subtitled The Phantom Pain. Ground Zeroes will be made available in the spring of 2014, and will focus on a singular mission where Big Boss must infiltrate a political prisoner camp. Ground Zeroes will be available on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The Phantom Pain does not have a launch window yet, but is supposedly coming sometime in 2014.