Why the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Is Called Metal Gear Solid Delta

The rumors finally proved to be true. Konami is publishing a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that was just revealed during the PlayStation showcase. While we’re still waiting to learn so much more about the project, most people really want to know why the game is called Metal Gear Solid Triangle: Snake Eater.

Ok. Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake isn’t really called Metal Gear Solid Triangle. However, you’ll forgive fans everywhere for jumping to that conclusion. The style of the game’s title is pretty confusing at a glance, and the trailer doesn’t try to explain why the name of the game was changed in the first place, much less why it’s now called…whatever it’s supposed to be called.

While we’re still waiting on more information, we now know that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Remake is actually called Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (or Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater). That, or its title is simply being presented as such for entirely stylistic purposes. Mind you, that’s not going to stop fans from jokingly calling it Metal Gear Solid Triangle (nor should it).

So why Delta? Well, nobody involved with the project has offered an official explanation as of the time of this writing. However, the simplest theory suggests that the shape of the Delta character is merely a stylistic stand-in for the number 3. In other words, the three sides of the shape are simply meant to represent the number 3.

Some have also suggested that the symbol could be used to represent the Metal Gear Solid trilogy that Konami is also remastering. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case at this time. Not only does that symbol not appear in the teaser for those remasters revealed at the end of the Snake Eater trailer, but Metal Gear Solid is obviously bigger than a trilogy.

The more interesting theories regarding the game’s name revolve around the meanings of the Delta symbol/character. See Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet and also has a value of four in the Greek numerical system. While none of that information helps explain why a Delta is being used to represent the third Metal Gear Solid game, the Delta symbol is also often used to represent the change of a variable in math equations. So, it’s likely that this symbol is intended to represent the fact that this remake is a change in the Metal Gear Solid 3 variable.

In an official statement, Konami confirmed that the name Delta was chosen because its “meaning fits the concept of the remake project.” In this instance, Delta is meant to mean “‘change’ or ‘difference'” without changing structure.

The Metal Gear Solid 3 remake will obviously feature updated graphics, refined gameplay, and other such modern upgrades, but it’s not surprising to hear that the rest of the remake will stay a little more true to the original game. After all, MGS 3 is an exceptional experience, and the circumstances surrounding this remake are…interesting in ways that would make more notable changes a divisive talking point. Granted, the Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes remake made some pretty substantial changes to the base game, but those changes were made under the guidance of Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima. Obviously, things have fallen apart between Konami and Kojima since then.

In a press statement, the remake’s developers note that they intend for “Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater to be a faithful recreation of the original story and game design.” They suggest that most of the changes to the game will be made to evolve “the gameplay with stunning visuals and a seamless user experience.” If that is the case, then this will likely not be a Final Fantasy 7-style remake that reimagines pretty much everything. If I had to guess, it will probably be closer to the Demon’s Souls remake in terms of what it does (and doesn’t) change.

In any case, we hope to bring you much more about this game as it nears its currently unconfirmed release date for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.