Metal Gear Solid 4 remake would be ‘pretty hard’ says series producer

Franchise producer Noriaki Okamura says a Metal Gear Solid 4 remake is unlikely anytime soon, calling the game’s PS3-era code so uniquely built that modernising it would be “pretty difficult”.

Metal Gear Solid series produce Noriaki Okamura has admitted it would be “pretty hard” to remake Metal Geate Solid 4: Guns of the Pariots.

Konami hasn’t chosen its next Metal Gear project, but Okamura – who has worked on the series since 2005 – is already tempering expectations by teasing a remake of its 2008 action title could be in the runnning, but would pose big technical challenges to the studio.

Speaking in a newly translated interview with Real Sound, Okamura said the team is “currently exploring concrete plans for the next game,” but stressed that MGS4 would be “pretty difficult” to rebuild for modern hardware.

He explained: “The next project hasn’t been decided yet.

“There is both the possibility of a remake, or of trying something new. The Metal Gear series is like a capsule of video game history, from pixel art to cinematic experiences, so the method we use for each remake needs to be tailored to the game.

“We don’t expect to apply the same methodology we used for Metal Gear Solid Delta on other games.”

When asked directly about revisiting Guns of the Patriots, Okamura didn’t mince words.

He said: “At that time, quite unique solutions were required in order to get the desired 3D performance using the technological limitations of the hardware.

“So MGS4 used a very particular code. Bringing it up to date would be pretty difficult.”

Released in 2008 exclusively for PlayStation 3, MGS4 famously leaned on the Sony console’s Cell architecture, relying on bespoke tricks to hit performance targets – tricks that don’t map cleanly to modern platforms.

It’s the same issue Okamura referenced elsewhere, calling the game’s construction “pretty special” and “hard to bring up now.”

Fans may still get a re-release before any remake becomes feasible.

References to MGS4 were discovered in the Master Collection Vol. 1 code back in 2023, and Konami later told players to “stay tuned” regarding its appearance in Master Collection Vol. 2.