Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Was Cancelled Before Being Renamed

Kojima Productions used Saturday's Video Game Awards show to pull the veil off of an apparently rebooted take on the game that was once known as Metal Gear Solid: Rising, now called Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Some confusion followed the reveal, thanks to both the title change and the game's move to a new developer, Bayonetta's PlatinumGames.

The title change is apparently intended to set the game apart from the Metal Gear Solid series, the company's Japanese Twitter feed reveals (via Andriasang). The story picks up after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4, but it seems to be following a thread that demands this separation from the series' more stealth-oriented titles.

More details came out of producer Yuji Korekado's recent appearance on the Hideraji podcast, which Andriasang breaks down using a secondhand translation (meaning some bits might have been lost in the translation). It seems the Kojima Productions team that originally worked on MGS:R lost focus as development progressed, which resulted in project being formally cancelled.

Rising came back from the dead when Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima learned that PlatinumGames had expressed interest in the half-finished title following a visit to the studio. The game went to Platinum and a new story was developed, one set after the events of MGS4 (instead of between MGS2 and MGS4, as was originally the plan). 

The podcast also reveals that Platinum's Hideki Kamiya won't be directing Revengeance. Fans can look forward to hearing an announcement about that at a later date.

Finally, here's some basic information about the game's story, as revealed by its official website:

The main character, Raiden, was once feared as the child soldier "Jack the Ripper" on the front lines of the First Liberian Civil War. Now, his combat mastery is channeled through a cyborg body as the strikes from his high-frequency blade slice even massive assault drones in two. Raiden is contracted for VIP protection, military training and other duties by PMSCs (Private Military and Security Companies) in a developing country piecing itself back together after a bloody civil war. Little does he know that the stage is set for a clash with an enigmatic force of countless cyborgs.

Source: Andriasang