Electronic Entertainment Expo Booth #900--Konami of America, Inc., a subsidiary of Konami Corporation (NYSE: KNM - News) and Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. today announced that Metal Gear Solid®3: Snake Eater, the third installment in Konami's multi-million selling stealth/action series will be available exclusively on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system in 2004.
Developed by legendary videogame producer Hideo Kojima at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, Metal Gear Solid®3 will raise the bar for quality graphics and gameplay.
Metal Gear Solid®3: Snake Eater was unveiled to audiences for the first time worldwide at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2003 in Los Angeles, California via a 12-minute cinematic trailer.
"We are delighted to be bringing Metal Gear Solid®3 exclusively to the PlayStation®2. This franchise has a huge legacy on the PlayStation® console and in its third iteration, the advanced PlayStation 2 hardware allows us to deliver another groundbreaking title to fans of the series," said Geoff Mulligan, Chief Operating Officer, Konami of America, Inc. "This title adds to the strength of the outstanding PlayStation 2 line-up and gives us the opportunity to reach the world's largest hardware gaming audience at launch."
The Metal Gear Solid® franchise takes a major step forward on PlayStation®2 with Metal Gear Solid®3: Snake Eater. For the first time, the game is set in a sweltering jungle where players must fight for survival by battling relentless natural elements, as well as an onslaught of ruthless enemy soldiers. Suspenseful stealth action delivers heart-pounding sequences like never before. The game's extraordinary gameplay and intense plot combine with riveting music, high-definition sound and astonishingly detailed graphics for a completely unique interactive gaming experience.
"We are pleased that Konami continues to debut new Metal Gear Solid properties exclusively on PlayStation 2, as the success of this franchise helped propel gaming to new heights on our platform," said Andrew House, executive vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Considering the enormous installed base of PlayStation 2 worldwide and its continued growth, we are confident that Konami's Metal Gear Solid®3 will be the biggest and best game in the series to date."
Konami's Metal Gear® franchise debuted 15 years ago with the Japanese release of Metal Gear® in 1987. The series is centered on the adventures of secret agent Solid Snake and is consistently recognized for its original game design and intricate story that is full of plot twists and human drama. In 1998, Konami introduced Metal Gear Solid® for the PlayStation® game console, which was instantly noted for its stunning graphics, unique narrative style and superlative gameplay. Metal Gear Solid® earned widespread critical acclaim, defined a benchmark of quality in the action genre and sold over 6 million units worldwide. Building on the precedent set by the original blockbuster, Metal Gear Solid®2: Sons of Liberty(TM) was released in 2001 for the PlayStation®2 with overwhelming praise from gamers and industry pundits, selling over 7 million units worldwide. In 2002, Konami released, Metal Gear Solid®2: Substance, the expanded edition of Metal Gear Solid®2: Sons of Liberty(TM), for the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 and PC DVD-ROM to much fanfare. Later this fall, Konami will release Metal Gear Solid® The Twin Snakes, the first Metal Gear® adventure exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube.
The 12-minute Metal Gear Solid®3 trailer will be shown at the Konami Booth #900 and at the Sony Computer Entertainment Booth #2416 West Hall during the Electronic Entertainment Expo show, May 14 - 16, 2003.