MGS 5: The Phantom Pain Publicly Playable for First Time at Gamescom 2015

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 will be playable for the first time to the public at Gamescom 2015, publisher Konami announced today.

While both games have made appearances at previous shows (Hideo Kojima premiered his last Metal Gear Solid trailer at E3 2015 last month), their appearances at Gamescom in August will allow the public some hands-on time with the soon-to-be-released titles. Konami general manager Martin Schneider spoke of Gamescom, calling it the “most important consumer exhibition in the world.”

Last week, the latest development in the fallout between Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain creator and director Hideo Kojima and publisher Konami occurred when the Japanese voice actor for Solid Snake and Big Boss said in a tweet, “Kojima Productions was forced to disband.”

Gamescom 2015 will be held in Cologne, Germany from August 5-9. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 will be released on September 1 and September 17, respectively.

Microsoft will also be showing off a few first-party titles at Gamescom this year. Sony, on the other hand, has decided to forego the show in Germany in favor of Paris Games Week in October.