I don't know if this is news to anyone, but I can't help but ponder this question, especially after coming across rather convincing evidence after a recent re-viewing of the red-band trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain.
A long while ago, when the first real trailer for Phantom Pain released, many people noted that there was a third, unseen character in the opening scene. As doctors just barely save Big Boss from an untimely demise, Kazuhira Miller asks "what about him?", not referring to Snake, but instead to a third, unseen character. The camera pulls out a bit, perhaps to show that the entire scene was in this third character's perspective, but we then cut to the next scene. I didn't know what to make of this at first, but then I, like others, assumed that Kojima Productions might be simply giving context to the creation of the player's MGO character (that's Metal Gear Online for the uninitiated). Though not original, it's actually quite welcome and would not only make multiplayer and singleplayer feel connected, but would also help to make the player feel as though they're apart of something bigger than any one mode in the game.
What I didn't expect or consider, was the possibility that your Online avatar may actually make continuous appearances throughout the game's story. As said above, my reasoning for believing so has to do with something I noticed while watching the red band trailer. In the final scene before the title card, we see Snake helping Kaz get around, but that's not all we see. Behind them, a single soldier looks on, but unlike every other MSF soldier we've seen up to this point, this soldier isn't wearing the entire uniform. His attire matches the other soldiers almost perfectly from first glance, the only difference is that he's missing the face mask and headgear. additionally, aside from being something I didn't notice at first (because he blends in with the others so well), there's also the possibility that this is simply a supporting story character.
There's nothing new about supporting characters in open world games, even Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, a game that doesn't feature open world gameplay, featured a rather generic character by the name of Jonathon, who's appearance (even in the game's cut-scenes) matched a generic enemy soldier completely. With that said, we could assume that this is simply a story character with their own unique story arc set within the game's open world, and given the bland design, they must be a VERY small character. Or, to prove my theory, this is actually one of the many instances in where the player's multiplayer character will be making appearances throughout the game's non-linear and "episodic" story. However, we could see a combination of these two possibilities, where the MGO character has their own story arc that's separate from the main story; perhaps that story will set up the events of Metal Gear Online.
Going off of that idea, this character may only be making appearances up until a specific point, where they're then shipped off into the Online competitive mode that is MGO. Will the character's role in MGO be given context on its own, is the player going to become a wandering mercenary (it would surely explain the set-up of MGO itself)? What about the open world elements, will vehicles and large battlefields make it in as well? This leaves me with so many questions concerning how MGO will evolve past its third iteration from Metal Gear Solid 4, as well as how it will implement mechanics from Phantom Pain. We won't know until it gets closer to release.
Speaking of releases, MGS5, itself is already split between 2 different games: Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain. Notice how the first clue of the MGO character took place in the events of Ground Zeroes, when Mother base is destroyed and Snake falls into a coma; the mysterious character is laying on an operating table, where the whole scene is seen from. Then, we see a mask-less soldier during the events of Phantom Pain. This could be the same character from before, only, now he has a face. While injured in Ground Zeroes, the character may have needed reconstructive surgery. Again, it would serve to give story-based context for how we can personalize our avatars appearance for MGO. Will players be able to create their MGO avatars in Ground Zeroes and then see them participate in the main story later on with Phantom Pain? Nothing concrete, but fingers crossed that we could be creating our MGO avatars in as less as 2 months, much sooner than the full game releases.
If you're an MGO fan, or a fan of customize-able online avatars in general, the possibility of getting to customize your character as early as Ground Zeroes is something to be excited for, Gents.
GamesRadar+: "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach builds on the foundations of the original, but adds whole new wings with a different vibe. This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse – but it well serves series fans like me. Charmingly bizarre with its worldbuilding and spectacle, there's still a real sense of community as you bring the world online with other players at your side."
TSA writes: Eat. Sleep. Deliver. Repeat. Death Stranding 2 is thoroughly familiar, retreading a lot of the same ground, but does build to a gobsmacking conclusion.
Digital Foundry: John Linneman reviews Death Stranding 2 - how does the latest Kojima joint deliver in terms of tech, image quality, audio and performance?
I haven't seen any of the recent trailers since it's reveal years ago, but man, I just started playing and it's the first time my eyes were wide open and my jaw was agape, haven't had that since I started Demon's Souls at the PS5 launch. I'm just blown away by how amazing it looks on my 85" TV.
Nice idea but i think you are reading way too much into it.
I just hope it's as good as it was on MGS4 AFTER the patches. loved that to death then BAM! they pulled the plug :/
Lets hope the online part stays true to its predecessors, and doesn't go the "Westernized" way. But im losing hope in Konami.
While this is an interesting idea, I do think you're looking much too far into things. Kojima first said, when asked about the "him" that the "what about him?" from Kaz mentions, that it was Kojima himself like a God-position within the game looking on at events and he laughed it off. It's obviously something much more than that (plus he loves to lie and mislead people so that's no surprise), but I really don't think it will have any ties to MGO2. Before Metal Gear Online came out Kojima noted that it had a very particular time period, one in which the events of the game could happen (I can't remember where this time period was exactly, I think it was a year before the events of MGS4 but I could be wrong, been so long since I looked into this stuff), but here I think (as always is the case when you get endless prequels) there's a possibility of opening up holes if they go for a similar manner. So in that way they tried to tie it to the story but only very lightly.
If they went with this then it would be forcing the online section of the game on people's throats pretty much, since you'd be forced to make your character there and then even though most will simply want to get on with the game, and as well what would happen for those without an internet connection? It could feel like a large hole in places, referring to a third / fourth person but never clarifying or actually saying anything about them.
(I feel like I have contradicted a lot of what I have said throughout this comment, if I did then sorry, don't really know where my head is right now. Good blog anyway though, even if I disagree with you you make some good points and note some stuff I didn't notice before.)
Its going to be just like all the other mgo's i was actually hoping for some co op action. like in the portable mgs games mixed in with online. Mgo has to be the single most advanced online shooter ever made. fps games are barely starting to implement what mgo did years agao and are still limited. mgo had a quick match lobby, a free battle lobby(were you customize you own room and host), survival (were you play with nothing but set teams and its the only way to play) and monthly tournaments were you had the chance to win clothing nobody else had.... ohh and tons of customizable outfits to rival most rpg's along with female characters/text messaging while in combat, gestures.... thats just at the top of my head.