Many fans were disappointed with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Originally released back near the dawn of the current console generation, Ground Zeroes was supposed to be a preview of what the future held for Metal Gear.

In reality, it was a paid technical demo that, as many claimed, took advantage of eager fans. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is supposedly the real deal, but no one outside of Konami or Kojima Productions knew when it would see the light of day.

Thankfully, after what's felt like years of waiting, gamers finally know when to expect the game: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will release worldwide on Sep. 1, 2015.

Originally, the news was supposed to hit tomorrow morning via IGN...however, it seems that the video went live a bit earlier than expected. The interview that hit the web for a brief period earlier today was an incredibly compressed, subtitled interview with series creator Hideo Kojima, and clearly wasn't the video intended for mass audiences. There's no telling why the video went live early - either way, the news is out.

As expected, the video was only live for a few short minutes before IGN pulled the plug.

Other than the game's release date, the interview touched on a number of different topics: namely open-world storytelling, new gameplay mechanics and the newest version of series protagonist Big Boss. Kojima has promised that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain would be a huge departure for the series, and it certainly seems like he'll keep his promise.

Rejoice, Metal Gear fans: it seems like you won't have to wait until 2016 for The Phantom Pain after all!

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is scheduled for release on all platforms on Sep. 1.

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