It was in early December 2014 when Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain's online multiplayer functionality was announced. The online multiplayer component was named Metal Gear Online yet again.

Since the release of Phantom Pain in September, the game has garnered critical acclaim, notwithstanding the controversy between the game developer Hideo Kojima and giant game publisher Konami.

Popular online review aggregator Metacritic scored Phantom Pain at an amazing 93%. The game also got an 8.1 average score from user reviews. This makes Phantom Pain one of the most popular action games in recent years. According to Destructoid, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain made $179 million globally on its opening day, according to Adobe Digital Index's report on gaming trends. That's more than double its $80 million budget."

The same article even compared this opening day numbers to the opening weekend numbers of Jurassic World ($209 million) and Avengers 2 ($191 million). It can be recalled that a previous incarnation of Metal Gear Online was launched on the Playstation 3 on July 17, 2008. It was later canceled on June 12, 2012.

It's no surprise that the revival of Metal Gear Online, launched on October 6, 2015 is one of the most anticipated online multiplayer games of the year. The evolved Metal Gear Online will be released for the PC, Xbox One and PS4. It will feature competitive PvP for up to 16 players with a maximum 12 players for the older systems.

On the other hand, Metal Gear Online has also received mixed reviews from various outlets. A few gaming sites have the same sentiments about the game which they say is not worthy to pick up the whole Metal Gear Solid V game just to play the multiplayer component, even if it has better graphics and improved gameplay than the original.

The debacle between Kojima Productions and Konami does not sit well with gamers as well. Many Metal Gear fans are wary that a cancellation of the online multiplayer might be in the offing once Hideo Kojima leaves Konami for good. Konami or Kojima did not confirm or deny any of the rumors circulating online. Although, Kojima was recently interviewed and he emphasized that Phantom Pain is his last Metal Gear game.

An IGN interview with Konami was cryptic at best. The Konami representative said that, "As we have already announced, we are shifting our production structure to a headquarters-controlled system, in order to establish a steadfast operating base capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital entertainment business. Konami Digital Entertainment (including Mr. Kojima), will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements."

With a less-than-stellar fan reception and a little controversy brewing, the new Metal Gear Online's future is still shrouded in mystery.