Konami "looking into" MGS4 for Xbox 360

By Ellie Gibson Published 15 October, 2008

The rumour mill's a-grinding again.

The saga of whether Metal Gear Solid 4 will forever remain a PS3 exclusive has been ongoing for some time now. It's been going on like this: "Yes it will no it won't or will it yes no yes no no one cares."

Now good old Konami has cranked up the rumour mill once again. Speaking to Japanese publication Morningstar (thanks Kotaku), PR type Yoshitaka Arai said the game could yet make it to Microsoft's console.

"The worldwide demand for an Xbox 360 version [of MGS4] is quite high, and it is something we are looking into," Arai stated.

But can it even be done? Unlikely, reckons series creator Hideo Kojima. Back in August he told Eurogamer, "Because MGS4 was optimised for the PS3 it is probably not possible."

That clears that one up then.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (75) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Shakey_Jake33 #1 3 years ago

    In other words, Konami wants to do it, Kojima doesn't. Who's call is it?

  • Xerx3s #2 3 years ago

    /umbrella up
    /marshmallows out

  • DFawkes #3 3 years ago

    But I remember the Xbox crowd quite clearly stating it's shit, so they won't want it anyway. Cries of "as good as Halo" and "MGSLOL" rang out for over 2000 comments.

    Still, more consumer choice for all is always a good thing, though given how badly MGS2 Substance sold on Xbox, they may decide not to even if it's technically possible.

  • Widge #4 3 years ago

    I FUCKING HATE MARSHMALLOWS

  • bengray66 #5 3 years ago

    As a fan of 1 & 2 (but not 3) I'm really not that fussed. It looks like a good game, but 360 has a lot of good releases coming to keep me more than busy for many a long time.

  • dr_faulk #6 3 years ago

    They let somebody else re-do MGS1 on the Gamecube. Why wouldn't they let somebody else do a conversion for the 360?
    I know there's a huge technological hurdle to be dealt with, but... I dunno, if they write the engine from scratch or something.
    Look, I'm just trying to be positive. Leave me alone.
    No I didn't leave the lid off the marmalade with the knife in the jar!

  • Bealsy #7 3 years ago

    I'd like to see why Kojima thinks its not possible on the 360....

    /runs off and claims seat next to marshmallows

  • the_dudefather #8 3 years ago

    If they start doing it now or soon, it probobly would end up taking ages to convert anyway, they should just look into making the next in the series multi-platform

  • ZuluHero #9 3 years ago

    Because people always like to say i told you so. TBH i don't buy this "it can't be done" anymore, where there is a will there's a way - and Konami sign Kojima's paychecks after all...

  • JonFE #10 3 years ago

    Of course Konami wants to do it. Who 3rd-party publisher wouldn't? They have invested their money, should they deny the additional return?

    I guess, apart from actually porting it, they only need to negotiate the license cost per DVD with Microsoft. Is one DVD per act too much to ask?

    :)

  • Der_tolle_Emil #11 3 years ago

    Well if there's money to make why not. More budget for future titles is in my opinion only a good thing. And more good games on a console isn't a bad thing either.

  • J.C #12 3 years ago

    huge technological hurdle? if your talking about graphics, then the 360 is more than capable of running MGS4. it would probably look identical. the only hurdle will be how to fit it all onto a dvd disk. which probably is impossible. multiple disks FTL!

  • Dizzy #13 3 years ago

    Let it go Konami. Nobody wants it.

  • muftak #14 3 years ago

    again eurogamer late with news which already has been debunked over on neogaf

  • Garulon #15 3 years ago

    Ohh, playing an aged Snake Pilliskin ripoff in a stealth game with enourmous cut scenes. Sign me up!

  • Avaloner #16 3 years ago

    Who cares!??!

  • Bealsy #17 3 years ago

    Cutscenes - coming to a bluray game near you soon

  • andywilkie35 #18 3 years ago

    I fuckin' love disc swapping, I finished it on PS3 but would happily buy it again for my 360 for the achievements

  • Garulon #19 3 years ago

    Oh and you can keep Tekken as well. Blurggh.

  • stevethemeat #20 3 years ago

    i hope they do it, then we will see that the ps3 is vastly more powerful than the 360, and the advantage of blu-ray

  • Eraysor #21 3 years ago

    If it does come out on 360, I will have absolutely no need to ever buy a PS3.

  • stepneg #22 3 years ago

    "i hope they do it, then we will see that the ps3 is vastly more powerful than the 360, and the advantage of blu-ray"

    Wether they do or not I don't think your ever going to see that day, let it go

  • Bealsy #23 3 years ago

    "advantage of blu-ray"

    Pardon?

    Look at how much data must be stored on the FIFA 09 discs. And doesn't need bluray.

  • ZuluHero #24 3 years ago

    "i hope they do it, then we will see that the ps3 is vastly more powerful than the 360, and the advantage of blu-ray "

    except when it comes to cross-platfrom games. GTA4's framerate on the PS3 springs to mind...

  • Ryze #25 3 years ago

    I reckon it'd fit on 3 DVDs at the most.

    I'd like for it to demand an HDD.

  • Eighthours #26 3 years ago

    i hope they do it, then we will see that the ps3 is vastly more powerful than the 360, and the advantage of blu-ray

    Have you been on this Earth since the PS3 was released?

  • stevethemeat #27 3 years ago

    sorry, i forgot to add enough sarcasm in my post.

  • Steroyd #28 3 years ago

    LMFAO.

    Kotaku got this "news" from Neogaf who got the news from the Japaneese Yahoo the poster didn't understand Japaneese and only homed in on the MGS4 comment, someone who DID understand Japaneese said it was an editorial about games going multiplatform (naturally MGS4 was mentioned because it's 3rd party and exclusive to PS3 at time of this post).

    Basically it'd be like making a headline news bulletin by taking an editorial from Gamesindustry.biz out of context.

    Example. Sony Big in Japan = Sony succeeds this TGS or they go bankrupt.

  • berelain #29 3 years ago

    The game could easily work on the 360; just instead of having to sit through a 3-5 minute install between each chapter, you swap a disc into the drive. Complex, I know!

    I wouldn't mind seeing it released for the 360... I mean, I already have it for the PS3, but its a solid title.. not perhaps the AAAAA+ game some people were hoping for, but still a great experience, and it'd be a good excuse to go back to it.

    Personally, though, I think the 360 will get it when they release the MGS4: Subatomic version or whatever Konami decide to call it :p

  • mcmonkeyplc #30 3 years ago

    Your right I dont want it!

  • johnboy_johsnon #31 3 years ago

    At this stage, now that all the hype has gone, I don't think many people really care anymore. Not a great game anyway.

  • Darren #32 3 years ago

    Well MGS 4 is a very, very strong contender for my Game of the Year (GTA IV is a very close second) and probably will be if nothing better comes along between now and Christmas. And, no, I don't think Gears of War 2 will surpass it! Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts maybe... ;) LOL

    I really hope that it does come to the Xbox 360 so those owners can experience the game. It's a really, really wonderful game... I even enjoyed all the cutscenes, I didn't skip one, yet I found them often annoying in the earlier games, especially MGS 2. Maybe it's because the story and characters sucked me in completely this time round. I even completed the game, a first for an MGS title! :D

    If it does come to the Xbox 360 though, I hope it's a better conversion than MGS 2 was on the Xbox where the rain at the start of the game caused some horrendous framerate issues...
    Edited by 1 at 15/10/08 @ 09:43

  • Ninja_Tino #33 3 years ago

    A good game but didn't deserve all those 10s. The story was dissapointing - main problem! Decent gameplay though, Eurogamer hit it right with an 8. Still, well worth buying and couldn't they just fit it onto 3 or so disks and swap when you'd normally install? It's no Metal Gear Solid 3.

  • Darren #34 3 years ago

    @Ryze - MGS 4 on the PS3 uses 33 GB of a 50 GB Blu-ray disc so unless all that data is uncompressed, I don't think it'll come on only 3 discs for the Xbox 360. An Xbox 360 DVD can only hold 7.2 GB of data so [gets calculator out] that's going to be more than 4 discs, i.e. 5. 5 discs would work well since there are 5 chapters so one chapter per disc with a disc swap inbetween, which ironically would work better anyway since it's quicker than a 4-5 minute HDD install. Also with the new NXE dashboard, it may be possible to install all 5 discs onto the 360's HDD and do away with disc swaps and installs between chapters completely. All speculative admittedly but I'm fairly sure that MGS 4 will come to the 360 sooner or later as it's too big a market for Konami to ignore.
    Edited by 1 at 15/10/08 @ 09:44

  • Dizzy #35 3 years ago

    "I fuckin' love disc swapping, I finished it on PS3 but would happily buy it again for my 360 for the achievements "

    ??

    Achievement Unlocked: Swapped disk 1 to disk 2

    ;)

  • Colin8703 #36 3 years ago

    I could see the game fitting on one DVD as all the cutscenes use the in game engine. The only time you get loads of disk space used up is for HD CG cutscenes. MGS 2 on the Xbox was on one disc and to say it can't technically be done is horse shit. The Xbox version could potentially be better as there will be acheivements and it'll be 1080p instead of 720p or whatever they did which is great.

    Kojima is talking from his arse.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #37 3 years ago

    Personally I'd only be interested in this if I had the chance to go back and finish 2 and play 3. Even then I don't have enough time (or a quiet house) to watch cutscenes that long. (Yes I went there.)

    MSG fans are a hardcore lot who would buy a system just for it. So sales will be a bit of an unknown quantity.

    And if anyone thinks this game can't be done on 360 to a similar level is a fucking idiot. You really are.

  • Hog-lumps #38 3 years ago

    @ darren

    Thats assuming it's not optimised for the 360 of course. I imagine with 50 GB of blu ray, as a developer you can afford to waste a lot of sace without worrying too much. So they may be able optimise the data a little to trim the amount down for the 360?

  • Darren #39 3 years ago

    @Colin8703 - MGS 4 on the PS3 uses mostly real-time cutscenes. A few of the "busier" (i.e. polygon intensive) cinematics are pre-rendered though, mostly noticeably the one at the end of Chapter 3, the river attack. I only noticed these because I couldn't manipulate the camera and Snake wasn't wearing the customised outfit anymore as he does in all the real-time cutscenes. So I highly doubt that MGS 4 would fit on a single DVD or even two or three for that matter.

    Also while the 360 version would support 1080p as every other 360 games does, it is unlikely to be 1080p native but simply upscaled. There are only a handful of native 1080p games on the 360 and PS3, although the latter system has more since Sony seem keen to push it more than Microsoft.

    P.S. MGS 2 came on a single DVD for the PS2 so what's your point? There's a huge difference in graphical (texture) and audio quality between MGS 2 and MGS 4 you know and those are the things that use up valuable disc space? ;)

  • prolific8 #40 3 years ago

    MGSLOL: Guns of the P8riots.

  • Negotiator #41 3 years ago

    Eurogamer you know better than most that MGS4 can be done on the 360, seeing as you do comparisons every month. As for the game I could care less if it comes to 360, and thats, that.

  • Shakey_Jake33 #42 3 years ago

    Disc swapping is no big deal if it's sensible. Resi REmake was hardly a worse game for it, for example.... and even the old Final Fantasy 4 discs was no big deal. It's only a problem if it becomes so frequent that it hinders the pace of the game (e.g. after every level), and we know it's not going to be like that.

    I know most of the disc swapping digs are just tounge-in-cheek piss-takes, but if anyone's actually seriously bothered about it, lets look at it a little more rationally!

  • t8yman #43 3 years ago

    wouldnt buy it anyway, i like to play games, not watch them.

  • Xerx3s #44 3 years ago

    Meh, where are the heated fanboy arguments?!

    Here, I'll give you something to work with: "5 second disc swapping between chapters > 20 minute waiting times".

  • hiddenranbir #45 3 years ago

    Lol

  • zoch #46 3 years ago

    I think mgs4 is great game and should be game of the year! and eurogamer got it wrong should have been a 10 not an 8
    also the game should be out on both the ps3 and 360 so nobody can miss out on great game!

  • BartonFink #47 3 years ago

    Good grief there would not be enough waaaaaambulances for the fantards if this happened.

  • polar #48 3 years ago

    @ DFawkes - I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who don't rate MGS highly enough to go out and buy a PS3, but who'd pick it up if it happens to be released on 360. As for your sales comment about xbox, I think it's a bit stupid tbh - how do sales of FIFA 09 compare on 360 to those of the FIFA xbox games? I think it's fair to say that 3rd party games are selling very well on 360, so why wouldn't Konami be interested?

  • 7creature #49 3 years ago

    Any chance for it to come up with dual audio (in the hypothetical and unprobable chance it will come out on 360)? If so, I would in fact consider getting 360 out of pure curiosity :)

  • NickJC1 #50 3 years ago

    Reasons to own a PS3 are now 0 with this going to 360, LBP lolz you can keep that kiddy trash.

  • CannonAnBall #51 3 years ago

    This thread is awful. Nothing like treading over old ground hey!

  • Razorus #52 3 years ago

    The 360 doesn't need MGS. And Lord knows the PS3 needs it's exclusives to stay exclusive. Poor Tekken :(

  • bonker #53 3 years ago

    "I'd like to see why Kojima thinks its not possible on the 360.... "

    In the same way that Lair was said to be impossible on the 360 I assume ...

  • Darren #54 3 years ago

    If you'd played it you'd realise that Lair wasn't possible on the PS3 either... ;)
    Edited by 1 at 15/10/08 @ 13:06

  • Vic #55 3 years ago

    @Darren

    Apparently 'DVD9' that the 360 uses can only holds 6.8GB.

    I guess its possible Konami willl reduce the quality of the sound and the resolution of the cutscenes, otherwise their royalties would be cut quite badly going on what Valave were saying a few months ago about RAGE.

  • mashk #56 3 years ago

    MGS4 on the 360, with all the babble and cutscenes taken out, because DVD9's are very small?

    Sold!

    Despite the fact it'll be a very short game.

  • Brogan #57 3 years ago

    wouldn't buy it

  • timberwolf #58 3 years ago

    just give xbox360 the cut scenes and remove the game. people won't miss the two hour epic anyway.

  • Darren #59 3 years ago

    @Vic - 95% of the cutscenes in MGS 4 are real-time, i.e. using the same assets as the rest of the game so if they're going to compromise the audio and textures then it'll affect the quality of the entire game not just the cutscenes. Only a few cutscenes are pre-rendered, presumably because if they'd been realtime the PS3 would have struggled to keep a decent framerate.

    Anyway, the game would work perfectly on multiple DVDs since each HDD install for the PS3 only used 4.5 GB or thereabouts and as I mentioned earlier swapping a disc is far quicker than a 2-3 minute install anyway. As far as MGS 4 goes, the Blu-ray format really doesn't benefit the game anyway as these HDD installs are used between each of the five chapters, perfectly placed for disc swaps. The question as to how good MGS 4 would be on the 360 comes down not to the disc format but whether the developers will take the take to optimise and refine the code to suit the 360. They didn't for MGS 2 on the Xbox hence the horrid slowdown. I'm quite sure that given enough resources and time, MGS 4 could run perfectly fine on the 360, likely with better anti-aliasing too.

  • TheNinkyNonk #60 3 years ago

    It would be interesting to see how a PS3 exclusive ports to 360. Has one been done yet?

  • rumrum4444 #61 3 years ago



    It will come eventually !


    Where there´s smoke there´s fire !!!



    .

  • Darren #62 3 years ago

    @TheNinkyNonk - "It would be interesting to see how a PS3 exclusive ports to 360. Has one been done yet?"

    Yes it has.

    Virtua Fighter 5 came out on the 360 some eight months after the PS3 version and is arguably the best version with improved graphics (well the same visuals but with anti-aliasing) and an online mode which the PS3 version lacked. Also Unreal Tournament came on the 360 late last year some time after the PS3 version, again with improved visuals (less screen tearing this time though) but lacking the user mods which made the PS3 version so great.

    Bar the mods, both games were "ported" over well to the 360 with none of the issues that plagued those early 360-to-PS3 ports. The 360 is simply an easier machine to code for, the development software is better and developers are more familiar with the hardware as the console had a year's head start. A port of MGS 4 to the 360 shouldn't be too problematic I wouldn't have thought, it all boils down to how much time is spent on the game. I mean all those naff early 360-to-PS3 ports I mentioned would undoubtedly have been better had the developers had more time to work on them.

  • AusFreelancer #63 3 years ago

    Didn't Kojima once describe the ps3 as going to the theatre, and the 360 as a home cooked dinner (or something?) What I'm trying to get at is; the 360 is more of a hardcore gamer's machine....while the ps3 is the middle ground (semi-hardcore/casual). There is waaaaay too much story for the harcore gamer in MGS.

    Don't take it the wrong way....I'm merely stating my perception.

  • septimus #64 3 years ago

    Possible I guess. Though it will be a shit port on 5 DVD's and bad frame rate or a complete from the ground rebuild and not be released for another 2/3 years.

    Neither sounds good. But if it does, will EG rate it 10/10 I wonder?

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #65 3 years ago

    If you read all the way through that neogaf thread mentioned earlier Garo, you'll see that a number of people have translated the original text and all came to the same conclusion that the PR man did say they are looking into releasing it for 360.

    Despite what the little article of your PS3 website says.

    Now there still may be some confusion to be sorted it but it's far confirmed that they didn't say it.

  • Lamb #66 3 years ago

    I am looking at the shelf space in the game store and I'm not seeing any well made games.

  • Collymilad #67 3 years ago

    Its only a matter of time.

    If need be they can compress it and split it over more than 1 disc, and if the demand is enough, they'll take the time to port it.

    Demand = Money to be made.
    Edited by 2 at 15/10/08 @ 17:24

  • beastmaster #68 3 years ago

    New dashboard = install to HD. Not that I will.

  • AJUK #69 3 years ago

    If it's amything like the Xbox port of MGS2 then no thanks. Late and poorly ported is not really going to do anyone any favours. Obviously the endless Hi-Def cutscenes would be the first thing to suffer, and arquably MGS4 is mainly comprised of them.

    Personally I didn't enjoy MGS4 much, I didn't finish it, but it certainly didn't grab me in the way that the first Playstation outing did. I think it's a bit of a marmite game experience (you either love it or hate it) and a (probably shoddy) port is unlikely to prove that A) It can't be done on the 360 or B) The PS3 is any more powerful.

    There is no reason why a properly exectuted MGS4 on the 360 would be any different in gameplay or visuals from the PS3 version, but it's not likely to be done that way, more likely to be a quick cash-in to make up for the fact that it doesn't appear to have set the retail world alight like it was supposed to.

  • GamesConnoisseur #70 3 years ago

    Konami is eyeing hungrily the cash cow that MSG4 would bring to their pockets if they expose the franchise to other consoles than just PS3. Its pretty clear to them by now that PS3 is not going to sell that quick enough and thus the capital return on MSG4 would take longer than if they just port to another console such as X360 which will do a far better justice than Wii.

    Anyone who believe that Konami would consider loyalty to PS crowd as a priority are a wishywashy fools, look at DMC4, Tekken, Resident Evil 5 and GTA4. This is the business of making money.

    Dont believe the hype that it will never be able to work on X360, I have played MSG4 and graphically X360 have the grunts to do the job but only the issue of disk swaps as others say. In a way I would rather swap disk and play immediately rather than sit through 2-3 minutes install!

    That fact shot down the myth of the superiority of the BD on PS3 as bloody hell, still requiring x number of reinstallations for damned x number of times you play through the game!

    Good if more MSG fans can share the enjoyment in the same sense that non multi platform PS3 owners will shortly enjoy BioShock.

  • wingzerosys #71 3 years ago

    I'm sorry but this gen is becoming nothing more than a joke.

    If every console gets the same games, why bother with more than one? Exclusives are becoming the thing of the past.

    Then again you don't hear the likes of Bungie, Epic games and the other companies who release exclusives on the 360, talking about PS3 ports (Bioshock wow), it's always the 360.

    Sony may aswell pack up and let MS have it all, they already seem to be.

    I loved having exclusives, the games felt more polished and that, they didn't feel rushed or anything, you had none of this "which version is better?" or "what should I get it for?" or fanboys saying "this version is better because it's on so & so."

    If it keeps up I may quit gaming and I doubt I'd be the only one, game companies are getting greedy and they repay us by releasing nothing but multiplats and unfinished tat.

  • wingzerosys #72 3 years ago

    Oh yeah if it does get ported, get ready for another 360 victory with the MGS 4 PS3 vs 360, Face off.
    Edited by 1 at 15/10/08 @ 21:24

  • SeesThroughAll #73 3 years ago

    Sony may aswell pack up and let MS have it all, they already seem to be.

    Bad news for consumers if they do.

  • mkreku #74 3 years ago

    I, for one, hope that all games start coming to all consoles (and the PC). Then your choice in console would be decided by the amount of extra fluff each console maker crams into his piece of machinery. A lovely world it would be!

  • firm3d #75 3 years ago

    Can we get back to the marshmallows please!?

  • sneetch #76 3 years ago

    @Shakey_Jake33
    "In other words, Konami wants to do it, Kojima doesn't. Who's call is it?"

    He's not a Sony employee so I doubt he cares, he said it probably wasn't possible but how much thought or research actually went into that statement, I wonder?

    Regardless, he's already done all his work on the game. It's no skin off his nose if they port and I'm sure he'd prefer to think that twice as many people enjoyed his game, especially as that will probably make him more money. Also if they port to 360 they'll probably port to PC too. More potential customers more potential money.

    The process of porting it over to 360 (if they were so inclined) wouldn't involve him much either way; they'll get a bunch of coders together to port the game, he'll probably check it out when it gets to a late stage of development just to make sure they haven't fucked it up on him but that'll be it really.

    @DFawkes
    "But I remember the Xbox crowd quite clearly stating it's shit, so they won't want it anyway. Cries of "as good as Halo" and "MGSLOL" rang out for over 2000 comments."

    Some did, some didn't. A lot just said those things to see if they could make a PS3 owner burst with rage like an overfull balloon. :)

    I'm not particularly interested right now, especially as it's just "looking into" the possibility and there's so much else coming out soon (Fallout 3 & Banjo Kazooie esp. for me) but depending on when it came out I might be interested in giving the demo a whirl.

    MGS4LOL btw. ;)
    Edited by 1 at 16/10/08 @ 16:49

  • sneetch #77 3 years ago

    @GamesConnoisseur
    "In a way I would rather swap disk and play immediately rather than sit through 2-3 minutes install!"

    But then you wouldn't have a confusing screen shot of Snake smoking next to a "No Smoking" sign. Yes! That's right, you read that right; the sign clearly says "No Smoking" but still he smokes. Crazy!

    He's so irreverent, his rebellious streak is so... rebellious. Man, that Snake, it's like he has no respect for authority.