It was recently revealed that Konami’s upcoming PSP action title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will be littered with product placement from a list of companies including Mountain Dew, iPod, and various clothing outlets. In the wake of all the ire this has drawn from gamers all over the internet, Metal Gear series mastermind Hideo Kojima has used his twitter to try and calm the storm of unhappy fans.
Under fire, Kojima claims that the main intent of the tie-ins were for fun and to give players a pleasant “surprise.” It has also been said that once the initial fun wears down, in-game advertising by such methods will come to an end.
This wouldn’t be the first instance of Kojima “having some fun” in Metal Gear games. Fans may remember things such the computer lab in the PlayStation’s 1998 hit Metal Gear Solid (the room where Snake meets Otacon) including a PSX system on a desk (later replaced by a GameCube in the Twin Snakes remake), as well as a Policenauts poster on the wall. In Metal Gear Solid 2, one of the cardboard box designs features a Zone of the Enders (another Kojima-directed game) logo. The difference with this “fun” is that it feels, to paraphrase some angry gamers, like forced-in advertising. Time will tell how this all pans out for series fans and for Konami.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is set to release April 29 in Japan, with a North American release planned for June 8 and European launch set for June 18.
