Konami says ‘Metal Gear Solid V’ nuclear event was triggered by mistake

Former Konami game director Hideo Kojima doesn’t like nuclear weapons. His entire Metal Gear Solid series largely centered on the concept of nuclear war and the dangers of nations proliferating weapons, and in Metal Gear Solid V, Kojima Productions even included a secret cutscene only available after destroying all nuclear weapons on a single gaming platform. That didn’t happen, but according to Konami, the event was unlocked by accident.

On Twitter, the official Metal Gear account said that on Friday, February 2, the Steam version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain released the cinematic even though there were still nuclear weapons being wielded by its players.

“We will share more information as soon as possible, but you can play the game normally and other platforms have not been affected,” the page continued.

Though PC players would be the most likely to communicate and coordinate a decision of this scale, it would be almost impossible for something like this to happen on Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

The nuclear weapons are in the game as a form of deterrence against attacks from other players, creating a virtual version of the “mutually assured destruction” concept that is largely accepted in international politics today. It was also shared by the game’s main villain, Skull Face, who believed that the proliferation of nuclear weapons among all countries would effectively end war.

Kojima has made his opposition to nuclear weapons and missile defense shields clear in his work. In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the Metal Gear RAY model was designed specifically to counter the nuclear-armed Metal Gear REX model, which could have rendered it all but useless and increased the chance of the RAY-enabled country launching an attack of its own. It’s a terrifying concept that the United States itself flirted with during the Reagan administration and its “Star Wars” Strategic Defense Initiative program. The Trump administration has recently indicated it wishes to increase spending on missile defense once again.

If players are eventually able to agree to destroy their nuclear weapons and create a peaceful world in Metal Gear Solid V, it would represent a level of cooperation we have never seen in the real world. Until then, we will all likely keep stockpiling our missiles.