In a recent GameInformer interview, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima provided new insight on the XOF who represent MGS5: Ground Zeroes' bad guys and their relations with the US Marines.
Regarding XOF, Kojima said:
“There are Marines in the base, and they’re not necessarily working together with XOF. They’re just there because their superiors commanded them. They’re working there, and they’re not the same as them [XOF]. Skull Face comes there with XOF, and him and his guys are doing these tortures and whatnot.
“The guys who are originally in the base are regular Marines just doing Marine duties. Ideally, Snake would only go there and wouldn’t shoot the Marines, he would just put them to sleep because the bad guys are only the XOF guys. But that will be up to the player. You can also put them to sleep and throw them off from the cliff.”
Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are set during the 1980s meaning that chronologically, MGS5 comes after the events of Peace Walker but before the first Metal Gear. However, both Sons of Liberty and Guns of the Patriots stress that this was an important era in MGS canon as it was during this time that the Patriots were founded.
Asked if we'll see the Patriots' formation in MGS5, he commented:
“I guess the only thing that I can say is that there’s Skull Face, there’s Major Zero – the relationship between them will be portrayed. That’s as far right now as I can say without spoiling.”
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes launches on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on March 18th in North America and on March 20th in Europe. Metal Gear Sollid 5: The Phantom Pain will be released on the same platforms but does not currently have a specific launch window beyond October 2014 to December 2015.
