SNK confirms multiple Metal Slug Reboot projects for 30th anniversary

SNK is returning to the retro video gaming spotlight as it plans to bring back one of its most ambitious, crass, yet addictive side-scrolling shooters. As the company celebrates 30 years of the Metal Slug series, a multi-generational team inside SNK has been secretly working on a Metal Slug reboot to deliver an over-the-top experience fans have been dreaming of.

The project has already gained viral momentum thanks to a Metal Slug 30th-anniversary trailer that ended with the phrase “MISSION REBOOT.” Given the secrecy behind the project and recent comments from the lead developers behind the anniversary trailer, it seems SNK is working on more than one new Metal Slug title.

SNK Brand Manager Seungju Song, who was coincidentally born the same year the first Metal Slug launched in 1986, came up with the “MISSION REBOOT” project name himself for Metal Slug’s 30th anniversary. He explained the long wait between mainline Metal Slug entries and noted that the franchise's last entry, Metal Slug XX, was released on the PSP in 2009. In an interview with Nikkei Gaming Japan, Song said:

“Seventeen years have passed since then, but there still hasn’t been a numbered title.” He was clear about the upcoming reboot’s direction, and the team was determined to revive Metal Slug, stating, “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.”

To accomplish this milestone, the company currently holds internal meetings twice a month and brings together employees from all key departments, including development, sales, marketing, and licensing, to ensure the franchise delivers the Metal Slug Reboot project in a coordinated fashion.

Additionally, Kunihiro Ono, now 36, stated that there had always been a deep desire within SNK to bring Metal Slug back from limbo, and that the 30th anniversary seemed like the right moment to announce the project. He said:

“We want 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.”

Naoto Abe, now 60, was one of the key veteran developers behind the Neo Geo in 1989. Currently, he is overseeing the Metal Slug Reboot project and mentioned that the reproduction Metal Slug cartridge for the upcoming refreshed Neo Geo AES+ was purely a coincidence and had nothing to do with the reboot project in any way.