Publisher IDW Games Is Not Moving Forward With Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game by Author Emerson Matsuuchi

Image: Konami

Snake? Snake?! Snaaaaaake!

The board game adaptation of Metal Gear Solid has come to a grinding halt as publisher IDW Games is currently no longer moving forward with the project. Originally announced in December of 2018, fans of the beloved video game franchise were initially excited to learn that Emerson Matsuuchi was designing this highly ambitious project with the goal of bringing the world of tactical espionage action into a tabletop game for 1 - 4 players. However, since its announcement Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game has encountered numerous delays and now it seems that the entire project is dead in the water according to a recent forum post by designer Emerson Matsuuchi:

The decision was made back in December not to move forward with the MGS Project. Since that time, I have been pursuing a myriad of options to keep the project going. I have offered to put in capital from my company to help fund the last leg of the project, and even to buy out IDW’s interest in the project along with purchasing all of the assets. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any traction with those options.

The rights to the design were finally given back to me a few weeks ago. So I have reached out and enlisted the help of a friend that is a bonafide expert in licensing and has connections with Konami. We’re working to keep this project alive and exploring possible options. While there are no guarantees that our efforts will bear fruit, I’m still optimistic that we will be able to get the MGS game to market, to the patient fans that have been kept waiting.

I also want to thank the team that worked with me on the MSG project at IDW. It was an incredible experience working with the talented folks there. It has been an honor to be given the opportunity to work on this beloved IP.

“Now go, let the legend come back to life!”
-Ocelot

Image: IDW Games

At the time of writing, the future for Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is most certainly shrouded in uncertainty. table for ONE will update this news article when more information becomes readily available.