Metal Gear Solid 2 source-code leak points to cut content and new preservation possibilities

A reported Metal Gear Solid 2 source-code leak has rocked the modding community, with early findings pointing to material from multiple versions of the game and content cut before release.

Lance McDonald reported that the source code and assets for Metal Gear Solid 2 HD had appeared on 4chan. He said the material appeared to come from Armature Studio’s work on the PlayStation Vita port.

Our own MGN moderator and modder, Afevis, whose work includes contributions to MGSHDFix, shared an early assessment with us. He reported that the material went beyond the HD versions, covering the PS2, Xbox and PC releases through Vita, along with original E3 trailer scripts, the cut Tanker water-escape sequence, scripting censored after 9/11, and internal editors and tools.

In a separate post, Afevis said his initial examination suggested that the Arsenal Gear crash into Manhattan had been disabled by commenting out code. He also reported E3 and demo assets, and said the HD version was built from the original source rather than entirely reverse engineered.

Modders are still examining the material, but the possibilities are substantial: restoring cut content, uncovering unseen work, and gaining a deeper understanding of how the game was built. For us, the potential to preserve and refine these games is just as exciting.

These are early findings, and the scope of any restoration remains to be seen. If even part of this holds true, it is a huge unexpected moment for the scene.

Sources: Lance McDonald’s original announcement · Afevis’s findings on cut content

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