Naked Snake is coming back in April 2027. He’s just going to be about the size of your hand.
Kaiyodo is making a Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Revoltech Amazing Yamaguchi action figure of Naked Snake, and it’s one of the best-looking physical releases the franchise has had in a while. It’s due in April 2027. The manufacturer hasn’t given an exact date yet.
It isn’t a new game. If you’ve been following this series, you already knew it wouldn’t be.
What’s actually in the box
The product page is up on the official Forbidden Planet website. The retailer’s description is the fun part, because it shows how much of the game Kaiyodo tried to fit into one package.
“Naked Snake, the protagonist of “Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater” and later known as the legendary mercenary Big Boss,” joins the Amazing Yamaguchi series! He is sculpted in the latest sneaking suit he acquired during his infiltration missions. The entire body is articulated to express his stealth action,” Forbidden Planet said.
The listing keeps going, and this is where it gets good.
“He can realistically hold his included firearms and knife, and even assume a prone position. His rugged face with a scruffy beard features a built-in movable eyeball gimmick. Unique items such as the “!” mark that appears above enemies’ heads, the Kerotan hidden on the map, and his beloved cardboard box are also included, allowing you to enjoy various scenes from the game!” Forbidden Planet said.
The cardboard box does a lot of work here
Anyone can sculpt a guy in a sneaking suit. Including the “!” alert, a Kerotan and the cardboard box shows somebody on the team played the game. Those are the details fans remember, not the gun specs.
Then there’s the movable eyeball gimmick, which is a strange little thing to put on a figure. I love it anyway.
Because the figure can go prone, you can pose him flat on your shelf like he’s crawling under a guard’s line of sight. Or you can stick him under the box, which is the right call.
The bigger problem nobody can pose away
For years this has been one of the most consistently excellent franchises in games. That’s why it stings that there may never be another game tied to it.
Hideo Kojima left Konami to form his own studio and moved on from the series that made him famous in the first place. Konami still owns the rights and could make a new title whenever it wants.
But some fans just won’t play one if Kojima isn’t involved. That leaves the series’ future a lot less certain than anyone would have guessed before he left. The open question is whether Konami does anything with it besides remakes and remasters.
Collectibles in the meantime
Side releases like this keep coming out regularly. This one could be the best of the bunch.
Obviously it isn’t the same as having a new game to look forward to. Don’t expect anything like the days of new entries such as Phantom Pain anytime soon. If you need something new to play, you’ll probably have to look outside this series for a while.
Or you can preorder a bearded, articulated Big Boss and let him wait on your desk.
One final thing: the Kerotan is in the box. Somewhere on your shelf there’ll be a tiny frog hidden in plain sight, which is exactly how it was in the game.
