Following fan outcry, Konami cuts price for its upcoming Metal Gear Solid V prologue

Early reports suggest it only takes two hours to get through Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. That has fans wondering if they are paying for a demo. Well, if they are, they’re now going to pay a little bit less to play it on Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

Publisher Konami announced today that Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will now cost $30 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for both the retail and digital-download versions when it debuts on March 18. That’s a $10 cut compared to the $40 Konami originally planned. On last gen, Konami is asking for $30 for the physical retail release while it is only charging $20 for the download on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems. The company didn’t explain why it decided to make the cut (we’ve reached out for more), but it’s possible that negative fan reaction didn’t help.

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Gamers started criticizing Konami for the perceived high price of Ground Zeroes after gaming magazine Game Informer reported the main story only takes around 120 minutes to complete. That has fans asking Konami if it is selling access to a demo because a more substantial, full-featured Metal Gear Solid V will follow this release.

Ground Zeroes is the next entry in Konami’s long-running stealth-action franchise. It has Big Boss, one of the Snake characters, attempting to infiltrate a secret U.S. military installation in Cuba in 1975. Players must use a variety of skills to sneak around the world undetected to accomplish the mission. The events of the narrative take place after the PlayStation Portable game Peace Walker. Ground Zeroes will set up the story for the full-length Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which is due at some point in the future.

The Metal Gear Solid franchise previously had a controversial demo. In early 2001, Konami released the mech-based fighter Zone of the Enders for PlayStation 2. With that title, the company included Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Trial Edition, which shows off the first mission of the final game. Many Metal Gear fans specifically bought that package just for the opportunity to play the anticipated sequel.

Ground Zeroes marks the first time that Konami has charged for a separate prologue to a full Metal Gear Solid.