Street dates are apparently meant to be broken. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes – the prologue to next year’s The Phantom Pain – is being sold a tad bit early in a handful of different locations. That means that this open-world, story-based project is now out in the open for those who want to share the biggest moments. That’s unfortunate for a team that’s kept the main narrative details under wraps, so designer Hideo Kojima has come out on Twitter to discuss the leak.
“Ground Zeroes isn’t a linear game, and it’s a real sneaking simulator that provides a high degree of freedom,” he wrote. “You can play any numbers of times and play style varies from person to person. This means that it’s very compatible with the share button. But seeing it demonstrated by an early leak wasn’t my intention.”
Konami, the game’s publisher, is simply asking those who’ve gotten their hands on the game early to keep all the details to themselves.
“Dear Sir/Madam, I know some people has already got GZ. Just enjoy but DO NOT spoil,” Kojima productions senior producer Ken-ichiro Imaizumi said. “There are many fans are waiting for this for long time.”
March 18 is the official release date for Ground Zeroes, so hopefully fans will make it another week without hearing every twist and turn from the latest Kojima project.