It's been a confusing few months for Metal Gear fans, as excitement for the confirmed open world spin off Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes was muddled by the mysterious Phantom Pain project, supposedly in development at Moby Dick Studios under the guidance of someone called Joakim Mogren. A trailer for Phantom Pain showed a hero who looked a lot like Metal Gear hero Solid Snake but no explanation was forthcoming.
Now eccentric games genius Hideo Kojima has taken to the stage at GDC to explain his prank. Yes, The Phantom Pain is a real game - and Kojima himself is Joakim Mogren. More than that, played together The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes will officially form Metal Gear Solid V. Some reports suggested this meant they were actually the same game, but Konami has since confirmed that they are two separate titles with Ground Zeroes taking place in 1974 and Phantom Pain set in 1983.
It's great news for Metal Gear fans, coming hot on the heels of the superb Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but there is one dark cloud surrounding the announcement. Voice actor David Hayter, who has played Solid Snake ever since 1998, will not be returning. "It will be a new person, I can't say who yet," Kojima explained. "What we're trying to accomplish is to recreate the Metal Gear series. It's a new type of Metal Gear game, and we want to have this reflected in the voice actor as well."
Konami has yet to confirm a release date, but has announced that both games are planned for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Expect to hear a lot more about this ambitious project now that the secret it out.