Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater release date leaks, as producer wants fans to hold team to account

UPDATE 5pm: GameStop has admitted it shared an incorrect release date for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater in its previous post.

A new post from the retailer has stated an official release will come from Konami, as we'd expect.

Further, as some fans have pointed out to Eurogamer, the original Snake Eater was released on 17th November 2004, so GameStop's post may have been a mis-reading - that date is a Sunday in 2024.

ORIGINAL STORY 11am: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's release date appears to have been leaked by GameStop.

In a now-deleted social post, the US retailer listed the release date as 17th November, alongside a pre-order option.

Fresh gameplay of the remake was shown at the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday night, but no specific release date was provided - although it's expected in 2024 thanks to a PlayStation blog.

METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER - Official Trailer #1 - Xbox Games Showcase 2024

Konami has also released a new video, hosted by Snake voice actor David Hayter, providing new details on the game.

For instance, the level of detail in the visuals mean scrapes, scratches and bruises will mar Snake in real time, plus injuries will now be permanent throughout the game.

Delta will also come with two playstyles. The first, Legacy Style, offers the overhead camera and controls of the original game, while New Style has a fully controllable third-person camera - likely equivalent to the original's Subsistence re-release.

The video includes an interview with producer Noriaki Okamura, who apologised for the poor state of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection on release.

"Now, when [the collection] was released, we got a lot of unhappy feedback, where people were struggling with bugs and playability issues, and issues with the resolution," said Okamura. "And we're very sorry that the game wasn't up to standards. But, we're still continuing to update and improve the game to address these issues."

He continued: "We want everyone to still be enjoying Metal Gear, and this compilation, even 10, 20 years from now, so we hope everyone will give us a little more time to get it there."

METAL GEAR SOLID Legacy Series Part 2 | ft. David Hayter

Okamura also discussed who's left from the original team to work on the Snake Eater remake - not Kojima, that's for sure.

"Myself included, there are still plenty of people on the team who were part of the original games," he said. "Everyone who is no longer working on Metal Gear is pursuing their own path now, and that's going to remain the case for these titles."

Lastly, Okamura had a message for the fans, essentially asking them to hold the team to account.

"We want the players to be able to judge for themselves whether this new team is right for the job of keeping Metal Gear going," he said. "So please, keep watching, and keep us honest."

Fans certainly will, as many have complained about the visuals of the remake. Though technically impressive, the higher fidelity removes some of the unique style of the original.

This thread on social media site X, for instance, has comparison gifs between the original and remake and while the shot-for-shot recreation is faithful, the visual tone is distinct.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is set for release across PC (via Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.