The source code for Metal Gear Solid 2: HD Edition and more than 30GB of uncompressed assets and internal development tools have been released in once of the largest single-title leaks in history. The leak contains code or multiple versions of the game, including the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Vita ports being developed by Armature Studios.
The leak first surfaced on 4chan’s retro games and video games boards, where an anonymous user posted a link to a Pixeldrain repository containing the files. While the source of the leak is currently unknown, analysts suspect the files originated from Armature Studio, which was shut down by Meta in January of this year.
Many in the retro games community are excited for what this leak could mean for Metal Gear Solid 2 mods and recompilations. Such a complete library of uncompressed assets could make a modern restoration of the 2001 stealth-action title possible, replacing the low-resolution textures of the original with the sharper files used by the developers. This may also facilitate a full recompilation of the game to PC.
Releasing the leak on April 30 (in some regions) has some significance. The game’s climactic finale takes place at daybreak on April 30 atop Federal Hall in New York City.
