“It’s the end of an era.” Those words flash across the screen in the opening to the latest trailer for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, serving as a stark reminder of the events coming out of Konami throughout the year.

This will be the final trailer, for the final game that will be helmed by long-time series director Hideo Kojima at Konami. It’s also the final time he will likely be involved with the Metal Gear series, not to mention the possibility that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain could end up being the last marquee triple A title that Konami ever releases, with the company shifting focus to less expensive mobile oriented games, as well as stranger fare.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s parting trailer focuses on the finality of Big Boss’s quest for revenge, a quest that will ultimately become his descent into villainy and act as a bridge between the Metal Gear Solid series, which was resurrected on PlayStation in 1998, and the original Metal Gear games that appeared on the MSX and NES in the mid 80’s. Of course, no Metal Gear trailer would be complete without some Easter Eggs, and this trailer for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is no different. See if you can find the nod to another Kojima directed series, Zone of the Enders.

Some aspects of this trailer for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain may also lead to speculation as to whether it serves as a personal allegory for Kojima in relation to his struggles, and ultimate departure from Konami. After all “you can’t run from yourself forever.”

Watch the trailer for yourself down below and then prepare to say goodbye to an outstanding era of gaming history.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is due out on September 1, 2015 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Written by The Watchman

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