After months of rumor and speculation regarding its existence, the May 24 PlayStation Showcase confirmed that aMetal Gear Solid 3remake was in the works from Konami. The reveal of the remake came with the announcement of a new title in the form ofMetal Gear Solid Deltaas well as the confirmation that the game was being co-developed by Shanghai-based studio Virtuos Games. Additionally,Metal Gear Solid Deltais set to release on PC and Xbox as well as PlayStation and will be what appears to be a faithful remake of the original title despite the name change and lack of Hideo Kojima’s involvement in the project.
Speaking of Kojima, manyMetal Gear Solidfans viewed the reveal of aMGS3remake with cautious optimism given Konami’s track record with the franchise following the series mastermind’s departure. Virtuos' involvement comes as a silver lining despite Kojima’s absence, as the studio has an impressive track record of either assisting with development or working as the primary studio on ports of popular titles. Since its inception in 2004, Virtuos Games has been an invaluable developer in the industry for providing assistance and guidance on ports, and its pedigree indicatesMetal Gear Solid Deltais in capable hands.
RELATED:How Metal Gear Solid Delta Can Capture The Original’s Magic
The Price is Right - 2010
After starting up in 2004, Virtuos would gradually build its base of operations and staff until eventually reaching 500 employees and beginning work on game development. The first title that the company worked on was a port ofThe Price is Rightfor the PSN.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - 2013
In 2013 Virtuos would open its first North American offices in San Francisco. That same year, the company would handle the iOS port ofFiraxis’XCOM: Enemy Unknown. In addition to being widely recognized as one of the best tactics games available on the Xbox 360 and PS3, the iOS port ofEnemy Unknownhandled by Virtuos won the Golden Joystick award for “Best Mobile/Tablet Game”.
Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 - 2014
One year after working onXCOM, Virtuos was handed duties of portingFinal Fantasy XandFinal Fantasy X-2over to the PS3 and PlayStation Vita. Both ports were hugely successful and would go on to serve as the basis for the Switch port ofFinal Fantasy Xthat released in 2019.
Batman: Return to Arkham - 2016
In 2016 Virtuos was responsible for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One port ofBatman: Return to Arkham, handling development on the next-gen versions ofRocksteady’s classicArkham AsylumandArkham Citytitles. The port was another success for Virtuos despite some rough edges at launch that were quickly patched out.
Horizon Zero Dawn - 2017
Following further growth Virtuos was tapped by Guerilla Games to provide art support onHorizon Zero Dawn. Thanks to their talents as a port studio and familiarity with the title, Virtuos also handled the development ofHorizon Zero Dawn’s PC port- one of the first PlayStation exclusives to make the jump to another platform.
XCOM 2 and Outer Worlds - 2020
Virtuos was given the opportunity to flex its talents at porting titles to the Switch in the same year that the studio portedHorizonto PC. In May 2020, Firaxis partnered again with Virtuos for the Switch port ofXCOM 2. Later that same year, Virtuos would handle the Switch port of Obsidian’sThe Outer Worlds.
NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition - 2022
Not long after cutting its teeth on Switch ports withXCOM 2andThe Outer Worlds, Virtuos would be granted the duties of porting one of the most-beloved and critically praised titles from the PlayStation 4 -NieR:Automata. Virtuos' work resulted in one of the most impressiveports available on the Nintendo Switchgiven the source material’s stunning presentation.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition - 2023
The most current release developed by Virtuos is the next-gen port ofThe Outer Worlds, which released in March of this year for PS5 and Series X/S. While some noted performance issues at launch, the studio again worked quickly to address these problems in a patch not long after release.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eateris currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
