Kojima No Longer Interested in Ending Metal Gear Solid

Hideo Kojima, the developer working at Konami who is largely responsible for the success of the Metal Gear Solid series, has said that he was aiming to finish off the franchise for a long time but the fervor of fans and the desires working on the team have always persuaded him to keep Snake alive.

Speaking to the Official PlayStation Magazine United Kingdom the legendary developer has stated, “I wanted to end it at every step along the way. In Guns of the Patriots was supposed to die. Everyone on the staff really wanted to keep him alive, so I caved a little.”

He added, “I did have the feeling that I wanted to end the series, but looking back at it now as a producer, I think as long as people want to keep on playing it, I want to keep on meeting that demand. So I don't think it's a bad thing.”

Kojima says that his desires as a video game creator, which involves creating new universes and sometimes moving away from popular franchises, need to be balanced by his role as a manager who is interested in selling his own games.

The developer believes that he has yet to find the right way of both selling enough to keep the executive at Konami satisfied while also staying true to his creative vision.

At the moment a team at his production company is working on Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the new game in the series which will star Raiden as the main character, detailing how he evolved as a character.

The game will abandon the stealth gameplay that has defined the series for a long time and will move to a more action based mechanic, with Raiden using his sword to cut up enemies and then take parts and use them to improve his own capabilities.

The game is expected to launch during 2012.