Hideo Kojima's Experiment with Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes as an Episodic Series

Hideo Kojima originally intended Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes to be an experiment for an episodic format, as the development of a full game takes four to five years. Ground Zeroes was meant to be an introduction to Snake's vengeance in The Phantom Pain's story and its theme of retribution. The game was released with the console, the game's Fox Engine, and an open-world concept to introduce the franchise's new direction with the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and gather feedback from Ground Zeroes before The Phantom Pain's release.