Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is back from the dead. More than two years after the project was canceled by IDW Games, Zombicide publisher CMON has picked it up — including the original design by Specter Ops creator Emerson Matsuuchi. The announcement coincides with the announcement by Konami of a remaster of Metal Gear Solid 3. No word yet on when or if the board game will have a retail release.
CMON describes Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game as a cooperative game of stealth (for one to four players) with an “intricate” narrative. The video game’s Shadow Moses arc can be played out across a 14-mission campaign, or players can dive into a VR Mission book with six stand-alone missions. The board game adaptation of the original Metal Gear Solid includes its most recognizable characters: Solid Snake, Meryl, Gray Fox, and Otacon as playable heroes; and Revolver Ocelot, Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, Vulcan Raven, and Liquid Snake as bosses. Of course, it includes two cardboard box miniatures for authentic tactical espionage action gameplay.
The pre-order version of the board game, subtitled Integral Edition, is expected to launch by May 2024. Integral Edition will include an exclusive Metal Gear REX figure and a 109-page graphic novel illustrated by Kenneth Loh (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe).
CMON has been in the business of making beautiful board games for quite a while now, and nearly all of its biggest hits have been funded on Kickstarter. The company completed its 55th campaign in April, bringing in more than $3.8 million for Zombicide: White Death, a new adaptation of its fan-favorite cooperative zombie hack-and-slash. But it’s no stranger to licensed games either, with partnerships that range from the Marvel universe to Cyberpunk 2077, Masters of the Universe, and Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Matsuushi’s design dates back to 2018, when the original version of this hidden-movement game (also titled Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game) launched on Backerkit. The publisher, IDW Games, eventually ran into challenges and canceled the project — a prelude to winding down its games business completely. IDW has only recently been stabilized under a new CEO, but the game design itself reverted back to Matsuuchi. Polygon reached out to IDW for comment about the situation, but it declined to offer one.
Wednesday’s announcement included a CGI trailer, and the manual for the game — which is still a work in progress — is also available to download. Expect to learn more about the game as we kick off the busy summer convention circuit, including Gen Con this August in Indianapolis.