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The multi-generational team behind SNK's upcoming Metal Slug reboot has been speaking to Japanese news outlet Nikkei about the project.
The youngest of the trio interviewed is Metal Slug brand manager Seungju Song, who was born in 1996 – the same year the first Metal Slug was released.
Despite the long gap between mainline releases, Song reveals that, within SNK, "we hold meetings about twice a month where members from various departments related to Metal Slug, including development, marketing, sales, and licensing, gather."
46-year-old Kunihiro Ono explains that "there has always been a desire within the company to revive Metal Slug" within SNK, and the 30th anniversary offered "the perfect timing for a reboot." He adds that SNK wishes to "celebrate the 30th anniversary and also demonstrate the company's serious commitment to the reboot. That's why we've announced the development of a new game along with the 30th anniversary."
At 60, Naoto Abe is the oldest team member who spoke to Nikkei. "I'm in charge of a wide range of tasks, including the Metal Slug 30th anniversary project and supervising licensing projects with external parties," he reveals, before adding that he was part of the team at SNK that launched the Neo Geo hardware all the way back in 1989.
When asked about the scope of the new game, Song says that he "poured all my feelings into the catchphrase 'MISSION REBOOT.' I came up with it myself, but the PSP version of Metal Slug XX, which is the main game in the series, was released in 2009. Seventeen years have passed since then, but there still hasn't been a numbered title."
While the Metal Slug series certainly hasn't been entirely dormant in that time – we've seen spin-offs, re-releases and related merchandise, including the excellent Bitmap Books history – it's amazing to think that we haven't had a new mainline instalment in over half of Metal Slug's 30-year lifespan.
That creates a fair amount of expectation, as Song is happy to admit. "Ultimately, we want to provide the content that our fans are really looking for. To that end, we want to reboot the project and grow the brand with a long-term perspective."
Metal Slug's 30th is also being marked by the release of a reproduction cart to coincide with the upcoming Neo Geo AES+ console. While it's tempting to assume this was all part of some grand plan, Abe says otherwise. "It wasn't intentionally timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Metal Slug; it was a complete coincidence."