Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain May Feature Micro-Transactions

If an Italian PlayStation Store listing is to be believed, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain may be the first entry into Konami’s prestigious stealth franchise to feature micro-transactions.

Within the description of the hotly-anticipated sequel, the digital storefront notes that The Phantom Pain will feature “optional in-game purchases” presumably linking to the construction of your all-important Mother Base. No word yet from Konami on the matter, though this tidbit does align with many of the suspicions raised following the publication of preview coverage earlier this week, with many outlets and YouTube personalities noting that in-game purchases were open to those wanting to speed up production times at Mother Base.

In a similar vein to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, this specific compound in question will provide Big Boss with an array of weapons and equipment, but waiting for those items to be manufactured takes time, and these as-yet-unconfirmed micro-transactions appear to be a way of circumventing that process.

Though this is sure to upset fans of the beloved series if true, the fact that these perks are merely optional extras is worth keeping in mind. Much like the recently-released Mortal Kombat X, which offered the option to pay for additional Koins – an in-game currency – to speed up unlocking, the feature can be ignored if you so desire.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is on course for a release across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Stay tuned for more on what is to be Hideo Kojima’s swan song throughout the course of E3 next week.