The gaming industry isn’t without scandal or controversy, and that sometimes involves mud-slinging. Other times, rivalries emerge which end up forging new, perhaps even better paths. Anything is possible in the world of gaming, though, and the proof can be seen in theBethesda-Obsidian controversy.
Now, however, that controversy has turned into something that could one day bear fruit, hopefully in the form ofFallout: New Vegas 2. There’s no doubt it was a long road, but given the circumstances, perhaps the same thing will eventually happen foranother popular series:Metal Gear Solid. Neither game is confirmed to be in development, with a proper sequel toMGS5being far less likely, but the two share a similar history. As such, it’s possible that they may share a similar future.
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Fallout: New Vegas 2 - Bethesda vs. Obsidian
First, it’s worth looking at why the relationship between Bethesda and Obsidian went south. Obsidian Entertainment had worked on theFalloutIP for Bethesda, with there being the stipulation thatFallout: New Vegaswould need to get an average of 85 on Metacritic to get a bonus. This bonus, by all accounts, would be a significant amount of money, while at the same time, Metacritic’s reputation wasn’t as “controversy-free” as it is today. So, given all of that, it was disheartening whenFallout: New Vegasreceived an 84.
This 1 Metacritic point resulted in the loss of the aforementioned bonus, with Obsidian Entertainment hitting a rough patch thereafter. It was a difficult road, and it did nothing to help the relationship between Bethesda and Obsidian. Given the former is a giant and that an 84 is still a good game, there’s a lot that could be said, but that’s neither here not there. Between this bonus and some reported concerns during development, the relationship soured. Five years ago, there’s simplyno wayFallout: New Vegas 2could have even been a thing, given the turnout and results of the original.
Ironically, fans asked for it for years. At one point, many believed thatFallout: New Orleanswas being teased as a sequel, but it was it is today: non-existent. Obsidian Entertainment used that to its advantage: when it revealedThe Outer Worlds, which came about a year after the release ofFallout 76, it used its pedigree in former Black Isle studio developers to mention “from the original creators ofFallout” as a jab. Now, Obsidian insists that it wasn’t, and there’s every reason to believe the mudslinging and hate that some fans see is little more than a negative indifference, but the fact remains: the two weren’t working together.
Then, in 2018, Microsoft acquired in Obsidian. In utterly surprising news, Microsoft has also entered a deal with Bethesda, hoping to seal that by 2021. In other words, the two companies will soon be under the same roof, and Microsoft could easily help whatever bygones be bygones. For the first time sinceFallout: New Vegasreleased a decade ago, there’s hope that some form of sequel could actually happen. The past is the past, and with these three companies, the future ofFalloutlooks bright.
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Metal Gear Solid 6 - Konami vs. Kojima
Metal Gear Solid 6, interestingly enough, finds itself whereFallout: New Vegas 2was 5 years ago. Arguably, though, it’s a bit worse. Not necessarily unlike how Obsidian and Bethesda’s working relationship ended poorly, so too did Konami and Hideo Kojima’s. The latter is one of the most prolific game developers today, having been the most famous employee at Konami during his years there. Somehow, somewhere, some day, Konami decided it had enough of Kojima though.
It should be noted that less of the official story here is known than Bethesda and Obsidian’s, but it paints a far worse picture. Konami’s working conditions had reportedly deteriorated into something simply Orwellian, with reports of employees being watched via camera and being demoted to menial work if they weren’t “useful.” This didn’t escape Kojima either, as reports indicate he was locked in a room separate from his team for the final6 months ofMetal Gear Solid 5’s development.
This came alongside a lot of other seemingly hateful acts, including removing mention of Kojima from business reports, effectively diminishing the name ofKojima Productionsto something equivalent to “Generic Studio #8,” turning Kojima’s full-time employees into contractors, removing “A Hideo Kojima game” fromMGS5, and stopping him from attending The Game Awards 2015 to claim awards for the game.
But what did Kojima do becomes the question, one that seems unanswerable. It was almost as if a light switch flicked at Konami, and Kojima had public enemy one over night. Chances are, though, that this is something that became increasingly present over time, and it’s clear it affected everything from Kojima Productions down. And as a result, the chances of Kojima and Konami ever working together again, whether that’s on anewSilent Hillgameor a newMetal Gear Solidgame, is next to none. This situation seems worse than the Bethesda-Obsidian fallout, but there’s one thing that should be re-addressed: anything in the gaming industry can happen.
While this is not to excuse Konami from its actions or to suggest that this is happening or even could happen, mending bridges worked for Bethesda and Obsidian. Therefore, it could work for a “new” Konami and Kojima as well. Fans, for example, have been hopingSony would acquire Konami in response to Microsoft acquiring Bethesda, practically since the announcement was made. Whether Sony should or not is up for debate, but it would become Microsoft in this situation, restructuring Konami into a better version of itself while respecting the independence of Kojima enough to allow his team to use the IP that he created.
It may be a pipe dream. It may never happen, but five years ago,Fallout: New Vegas 2was in a “never happen” scenario. Now, it’s possible.Metal Gear Solid 6, a true sequel with the brains of Kojimabehind it, may be in a “never happen” scenario, but someday too, it may be possible again.
Neither a newFalloutgame nor a newMetal Gear Solidgame have been announced.
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