Earlier this month, we visited New York for a Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater event, where we got to play the game for review and meet some of the people involved with the original game and remake, including Delta producers Noriaki Okamura and Yuji Korekado. Okamura has served various roles from writing support to producer on the Metal Gear franchise, starting with Metal Gear Acid 2 in 2005. Korekado served roles on nearly every Metal Gear Solid game, as well as other Hideo Kojima projects like Policenauts. They have been working on the franchise for a long time, and both worked on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater or its subsequent re-releases.
We spoke to both Okamura and Korekado through a single translator (making it difficult to attribute exactly who said what), and they were understandably excited about the release of Delta, and though willing to talk about Hideo Kojima, they didn’t have much to say. They reiterated that they wanted to stay as true to the vision of the original game as possible and said they hope he checks out the game someday, but otherwise mainly offered polite platitudes about their time working with him and on the original game, of which they have fond memories.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater producers Noriaki Okamura (left) and Yuji Korekado
“When we revisited Metal Gear Solid 3 for Delta, we were quite surprised, even just from the development side, when we went back and modernized this game for current-day audience,” Okamura and Korekado said. “Even just taking that original concept without even changing it? The game still had so many good points and a lot more charm and a lot more emotion and everything, even though we hadn’t really changed anything or added new features at that point. The game still had a lot to offer even though it’s now 20 years old.”
As you can read in our review, it is impressive how one-to-one Delta is to the original. It looks drastically better, some controls have been modernized, and the camo system is improved, but otherwise, Delta is the Metal Gear Solid 3 you remember. It even has secrets that we didn’t think would have made it into a remake.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004)
This isn’t the first time a Metal Gear Solid game has been remade, however. The 2004 GameCube game, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, took a different approach. It re-recorded all the dialogue with the same actors, changed how the primary shooting worked, and all the game’s cutscenes were rewritten and directed by filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura, per Hideo Kojima’s request. Though generally well-received, it is not considered the definitive version of the original Metal Gear Solid, with fans complaining about the changes made to various characters’ accents and the game feeling more like a bombastic action film than a stealthy espionage tale.
I asked Okamura and Korekado if the team looked at Twin Snakes and if it influenced the development of Delta. “Not in particular,” they said. “In regards to any game, when we make a game, there are loads of things we learn each and every time we develop a game. There’s nothing in particular that connects to Twin Snakes that we would say has had any impact this time around. And the way we’ve remade the game is completely different. This is a full-on remake without really changing very much from the original game.”
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)
With the release of Delta on August 28, the future of Metal Gear Solid is uncertain. Its creator, Hideo Kojima, is completely separated from Konami and the franchise, and is even working on an original “action espionage” game with Sony called Physint. I told Okamura and Korekado that if they plan to continue pursuing remakes, I would like Metal Gear Solid 2 next, and they laughed and simply said, “Thanks,” but they did offer a little bit about what the future of Metal Gear may be.
“We are always thinking about what we could do for the Metal Gear series, but in regards to remaking future titles, currently we’re just focusing on the now, and we thought what would be the best way to reach both the old fans and potential new fans, as well,” Okamura and Korekado said. “At the moment, we are focused on delivering Delta in the best possible way to the current generation, and once this game is released, if the fans feel they would like to see more from playing the game, then we would like to consider lots of other games in the future. For now, this is it.”
For more on Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, you can read our interview with some of the members of the original voice cast, and find our 9 out of 10 review for the game here.