Sons of Liberty Predicted Gaming’s Future Better Than We Realized

It’s wild to think that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is going to have its 25th anniversary in November. A lot has happened since then, and Kojima’s ambitious sequel was scarily accurate when it came to predicting the future. Over the years, TV shows like The Simpsons and Black Mirror have often been seen as prophetic, but Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty needs to be added to the list.

When the anticipated sequel to Metal Gear Solid came out, it was unexpectedly controversial. The marketing had promised more Solid Snake. However, in classic Hideo Kojima fashion, the sequel completely subverted players’ expectations. Instead of Solid Snake, brand-new protagonist Raiden took most of the spotlight. Some were frustrated, but others saw it as genius. It’s fun to think about one of gaming’s most iconic bait-and-switch moments, but the most compelling part of all is how the game reflects many of the things being faced in the modern world. Metal Gear Solid 2 covers everything from digital surveillance to “fake news,” but it also made predictions that we’re seeing unfold in the gaming industry.

Gaming has evolved leaps and bounds since Metal Gear Solid 2‘s release back in 2001. Even looking at Hideo Kojima’s work then and now is mind-blowing. After Kojima left Konami, seeing what he and the team at Kojima Productions have been able to do in terms of graphics and immersive gameplay is on a different level. Comparing Metal Gear 2 and Death Stranding side by side shows just how far the industry has come, but it hasn’t entirely changed for the better.

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Information Overload and the Power of Digital-Focused Culture Have Transformed the Industry

For a younger generation of gamers, information overload and a life lived partially online are normal. When it comes to older gamers, a time before algorithm-based storefronts and the need to constantly be online to even play certain single-player games feels like a distant memory. Instead of a game’s data actually being on a disc, physical copies are now merely access keys encased in boxes for collectors to keep on their shelves. Constant post-launch updates, live-service models, and the need for continuous content have reshaped the gaming landscape. Much of today’s culture is kept online, and this message lies at the heart of Metal Gear Solid 2. There have been several times when it seemed like Hideo Kojima predicted the future, and Metal Gear Solid 2 is probably his most prophetic.

One of Metal Gear Solid 2‘s best moments is when Colonel Campbell and Rose unload a wild amount of information on Raiden regarding the consequences of collecting every part of life in the digital age. The main speech was about society as a whole, but there are some fascinating reflections seen in gaming.

Rose : We’ve always kept records of our lives. Through words, pictures, symbols… from tablets to books…

Colonel : But not all the information was inherited by later generations. A small percentage of the whole was selected and processed, then passed on. Not unlike genes, really.

Rose : That’s what history is, Jack.

Colonel : But in the current, digitized world, trivial information is accumulating every second, preserved in all its triteness. Never fading, always accessible.

Rose : Rumors about petty issues, misinterpretations, slander…

Colonel : All this junk data preserved in an unfiltered state, growing at an alarming rate.

I’m going to really hone in on Metal Gear Solid 2‘s themes of “junk data” and heavy focus on clutter in digital spaces. A tidal wave of digital noise is something that is expected with the majority of game releases now. Everyone’s opinions, whether good or bad, are instantly shared on social media. Freedom of thought and expression is an amazing thing, but the more viewpoints that are seen on the internet, the less meaningful they seemingly become. It’s shouting into a void. This basically becomes the junk data that Colonel Campbell and Rose were so concerned about.

Even beyond social media discourse, things like in-game trophy achievements and the number of hours played are kept on record, even though they ultimately don’t serve much of an actual purpose.

A big twist in Metal Gear Solid 2 is that Colonel Campbell has been an AI replica of the actual Roy Campbell all along in order to manipulate Raiden. AI in gaming has been one of the biggest subjects in the industry lately, and the tech is something that even Kojima wasn’t planning on focusing on. At the end of 2025, Kojima did an interview with Wired where he explained that he never intended for Metal Gear Solid 2 to be seen as a story about AI, saying, “MGS2 is often mistaken for a story about AI, but it’s about digital society.” Even if focusing on AI wasn’t his intent, it has become a major part of the larger discussion. Recent controversies, like Crimson Desert‘s AI use, have the industry deeply divided. Even this kind of division falls in line with Metal Gear Solid 2‘s predictions, since the game warns of how algorithms curate digital realities where people can find themselves holding vastly different views on the same subject.

MGS2 is often mistaken for a story about AI, but it’s about digital society… In digital, everything remains. Like social media today. Even graffiti remains without deteriorating. The internet connects everything. And opinions are exchanged directly everywhere. MGS2 explored what human life would become then.

There are gamers who refuse to play games that have any AI use, while others are on board with fully AI-generated games. Metal Gear Solid 2 doesn’t address AI in gaming, but it definitely speculates on how it will affect society as a whole. Whether it’s a bubble ready to burst or an inevitable part of the future, it has stuck its claws in the industry with no signs of letting up.

Just recently, Nvidia caused a lot of controversy with the announcement of its DLSS 5. Nvidia’s DLSS 5 uses AI to upscale a game’s graphics, drastically changing the appearance. This has raised questions about whether this undermines the creative work of developers or not. AI is quickly seeping into every facet of human life, and gaming is one of the biggest targets at the moment.

The Next Few Years Are Going to Be Wild for the Gaming Industry

Regardless of how one feels about AI and the now constantly online world, it’s clear that a lot of major changes are on the horizon. They may fail, but they could also become the new standard. With Microsoft bringing its Copilot AI assistant to Xbox, gaming’s biggest companies are now embracing this tech more than ever. Last year, Sony even filed a patent for an “AI generated ghost player” that will help you beat games. Between companies ramping up their AI usage, content overload, and an increasingly online culture, Metal Gear Solid 2 proves that its vision of the future is here, and it’s deeply bizarre.