The Potential Xbox 360 Version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Revealed

Title: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Almost Made its Way to Xbox 360, Reveals Assistant Producer Ryan Payton

In a recent revelation, Ryan Payton, the assistant producer of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, shared that at one point during its development, the game was “running beautifully and smoothly” on Xbox 360. This information was disclosed in Steven L Kent’s book, The Ultimate History of Video Games Vol 2, as reported by Time Extension.

Contrary to popular belief, Payton clarified that there was no exclusivity deal in place to ensure the game’s release solely on PlayStation 3 (PS3). Instead, the decision to make it a PS3 exclusive was influenced by the choice of disc format used in Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Payton revealed that Konami, the game’s publisher, even set up a team dedicated to exploring the possibility of porting the game to Xbox 360.

Payton further explained that despite the challenges faced by the development team while working on the PS3, most of them were still loyal Sony fans and were not in favor of allocating resources for testing the game on Xbox 360. They believed that Metal Gear Solid 4 would not perform well on Microsoft’s older and inferior hardware. However, during a meeting hosted by Konami’s R&D team, the developers witnessed Metal Gear Solid 4 running flawlessly on an Xbox 360, surprising everyone.

Although the technical feasibility of the port was established, Payton revealed that it was not practical on a physical level. The PS3 games were distributed on BD-ROM discs with a storage capacity of up to 54GB, while Xbox 360 games used DVD-ROM discs with a maximum capacity of only 8.3GB. Porting Metal Gear Solid 4 to Xbox 360 would have required the game to be split across multiple discs, a compromise that Konami was not willing to make.

This decision was supported by Jack Tretton, a representative from Sony, who emphasized the importance of Blu-ray technology in making Metal Gear Solid 4 possible on the PS3. Tretton stated that the game was not only exclusive to PS3 but also owed its existence to the capabilities of Blu-ray.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has remained a PS3 exclusive since its release and has not been re-released on any other platform. However, Konami recently announced a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, titled Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, which will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Additionally, Konami will be releasing the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection series, with Volume 1 including Metal Gear Solid 1-3 and the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. It remains to be seen if Volume 2 of the collection will include a port of Metal Gear Solid 4.

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Valuating the possibility of releasing Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Xbox 360. However, due to the limitations of the DVD format used by the Xbox 360, the game would have required multiple discs, which would have interrupted the flow of gameplay.

The development team wanted to ensure a seamless experience for players, and the Blu-ray format used by the PS3 allowed them to achieve this goal. The larger storage capacity of Blu-ray discs made it possible to fit the entire game on a single disc, eliminating the need for disc swapping. This was a crucial factor in the decision to make Metal Gear Solid 4 a PS3 exclusive.

Additionally, Payton mentioned that the relationship between Konami and Sony also played a significant role in the exclusive partnership. Sony had been a long-time partner with Konami, and Metal Gear Solid 4 was seen as a flagship title that would help showcase the capabilities of the PS3. This close collaboration between the two companies further solidified the decision to release the game exclusively on the PlayStation.

In conclusion, Ryan Payton’s recent revelation sheds light on the almost inclusion of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on the Xbox 360. However, the limitations of the Xbox 360’s DVD format and the desire for a seamless gameplay experience ultimately led to the game becoming a PS3 exclusive. The partnership between Konami and Sony further solidified this decision.