This has been making the rounds today, but for those who don't know, the Microsoft Store and Rakuten are both indicating that the release date for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is on February 24th of next year. GameStop is reporting a March 31st release, and many other retailers (Amazon, FYE) are still TBA or placeholder dates.

Definitely big news for a game that has been slated merely for 2015 and a game many have considered might not even make that window. Take it with a grain of salt.

But hey man what if....then whoa! Wheeee!

I would be super surprised if it releases before summer.

It happened. It's been done.

Hideo Kojima has mastered time travel.

Damn! Good catch. Thank you.

Seriously though, I'd be ecstatic if this is actually true. I want me some more MGS and I want it fast. Ground Zeroes was an awesome little teaser.

I don't trust this though because that is so damn close

I really doubt that a game of that size is coming out that soon without the date having been announced well before now. It's probably a mistake.

I highly doubt it. You don't announce a release date for a game this big less than 2 months before it comes out.

I'm just going to repost something I saw on another video game forum:

- VGAs 2012 phantom pain by 'moby dick studios' a Swedish company

- kojima having the Swedish words for the 22nd and the 6th on his t-shirt at the TGAs

- The 22nd chapter of Herman Melvilles 6th book 'Moby Dick' is called "Merry Christmas"

- perhaps rather than hinting a 22nd of June release date he is hinting that a release date could be given on Christmas Day.

New Kojima station on Christmas Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AbskLUQZDM

@target2:

Just saw this myself on another video game forum, and this is possibly the most coherent theory I've read in regards to the shirt and tying everything up. It is also worth noting that more stuff occurred beyond the MS store stuff. Some guy on reddit leaked an image of the video game store he works at, that shows a changed street release date on MGS5 to the Feb 24th. Additionally, the Steam page for TPP has had it's status changed to "Coming Soon". This all happened on the same day.

Guys, please calm me down, I'm getting too hyped, and the inevitable emotional crash will destroy me.

Could Mozart be still alive?????

I think I would literally crap myself out of a delirious high if it came out on Feb. 24th.

It will not come out on Feb. 24th.

i was JUST about to say the Rumored June release date is more plausible, but goddammit. that theory makes too much sense.

also given the fact, that especially for a metal gear game, that game has had quite a bit of trailers released at this point, but mann, thats really close if its february

that's four days after my birthday.

I am okay with this news, except for the part where I'm screaming inside like a little girl at a One Direction concert.

Another reason i'm glad The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne got delayed. If this turns out to be true of course. I dont see it being that far fetched considering Ground Zeroes was very polished and apparently the PC version of it is well optimized. We've also seen a fair amount of gameplay even if we havent had hours worth of cutscenes in numerous trailers like with prior MGS games.

Of course! It all makes perfect sense!

For what it's worth, I spoke to a Microsoft customer service guy named Mark through chat and just asked him. He said that they don't know either and the release date they had (02/24/2014) was just a "stand in" and a "guess."

Oh man that would be the best birthday gift ever.

I'm guessing November 2015, if only because these complex theories are rarely correct.

Guys do you really think one of the biggest releases of the console generation will only have a two month window for advertising?

A HIND D?

There is ZERO way it comes out in Feb that just seems way way to soon. I could possibly believe the main game is done but the multiplayer is still actively in development so unless they are coming in super hot with that thing and shipping without multiplayer I dont think it ships in Feb. That would be crazy and amazing if I'm wrong but I just don't see that being the case. That being said Feb 24th is a very very specific date. Placeholder dates are usually the last or first day in a month.

I'm kinda wondering more about the release date for the pc version. After seeing how Ground Zeroes runs on the pc myself I'm tempted to probably grab the pc version of this one when it comes out.

WOW! I was expecting April or June.

no way its true.

I don't get why people say this. This isn't some unknown title that needs a ton of advertising. Not to mention it has been getting articles, press coverage, and covered at cons for the last two years. I guess none of that counts as advertising though? I am also pretty sure the re release of ground zeroes as a front page sale on the first day of the steam winter sale probably reminded plenty of people about MGSV too.

I think people dismissing this date based on it not being enough time for advertising is a mistake, this isn't ubisoft or ea or even 2k for that matter. They aren't going to pour as much money in ads as we are used to, they don't have to, and they know it. Wishful thinking perhaps

If they said it's coming out around June/July of next year I could believe it, but no way in hell would it come out in two months.

I mean its been how long since MGS4? maybe they've been done for awhile and have been waiting for VO and the MGO team to finish their work.

I desperately need more time to play these games. I just finished Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, and Metal Gear Solid. I still have 2, 3, 4, Revengeance, and Peacewalker to get through!

February 24th is my birthday. Please, Kojima. For me.

ITT: People who are trying to apply logic to something that Hideo Kojima is working on.

Seriously, Hideo Kojima is exactly the type of person who would try releasing a game with only two months notice.

Placeholders wee.

I also have this theory that kiefer sutherland is playing a different character than snake and its all some kind of raiden trick.

God it would be awesome if it was that early, I got really pumped for it playing ground zeroes this week.

If this were true which I don't really think it is, I'd be stoked that this may mean that we'd be getting Metal Gear Scanlon 3 and 4 by February.

Oh dear, I'm not ready for this! This means that about three days after my paycheck comes in, I can actually buy a PS4 with MGS:V as my first game? There is also Bloodborne right, in the same week? This can't be happening...

Never. It's not going to happen.

I assumed it wasn't dropping until late 2015. If it came out this early I would be pretty fucking happy.

Honestly? Seems way too soon. I wouldn't be surprised if it was announced for Fall 2015 and then was delayed into 2016. That's alright, I can wait.

Besides, Metal Gear Scanlon is going to need that extra time to go through the next ~7 MGS games.

I want to say this is not true and more speculation from fans outside of the company. Remember all that nonsense about the dude decoding those transmissions about the next fallout earlier this year??

Although I can totally see Kojima on Feb 17, 2015 being like "hey MGSV is out in 7 days!" drops the mic and the world erupts in awesome chaos.

You are talking about the hardest of the hardcore, that may at most make up about 20% of MGSV sales. The massive amount of people that need traditional advertising to make sure a game of this scale sells well enough to turn a profit needs a much bigger time frame then two months.

@jay_ray said:

You're talking about Konami. This is totally something they would do.

The March 31st date from Gamestop is almost certainly just a placeholder as it is end of a quarter and happens to also be a Tuesday. The Feb 24 date is more interesting. I could totally see Konami releasing it then if it is finished, the franchise is massive at this point and a semi-stealth release shouldn't hurt initial sales that much. MGS is very much a "gamer's game", they will certainly draw in some buyers through traditional marketing but I don't think the main gaming public who need advertising to know about say the new GTA game will be the main audience for this game. They wouldn't do a full on stealth release but if it is indeed Feb 24 I could see them announcing the release date late Jan or early Feb. The week before and after the 24th only have one real potential rival in The Order but even then it is a PS exclusive, meaning the Xbone and PC market are sitting pretty at that point. With Bloodborne and Witcher 3 being delayed I wonder if that made end of February more appealing to launch in?

I do still doubt it is true just because I don't think it is in a state where it is finished right now, as it would have to be really close with only 2 months remaining until release. I am still guessing either Summer 2015 or Late January 2016.

I'd almost bet the house that isn't the date. No fucking way. I mean if it is that's cool I guess, but I just don't see it.

@demoskinos said:

I can't imagine this game coming out in February, but that's a really good point.

I'm putting my money still on a June release date.

If I'm only a few months away from MGS V AND Bloodborne?! Imma lost my shit.

I don't know, it has been in development for a while. Apart from it being a weird time of the year to release a huge game I can see Phantom Pain being complete. Then again the amount of detail and polish that go into a single Metal Gear game is enough to create two regular games of the current generation.

@regularassmilk: How does he not @patrickklepek in that second tweet!?

Impossible is nothing.