Hideo Kojima appeared on stage to announce the completion of his four-year long project.
"I'm very happy that we can announce the completion of MGS4 in front of everyone here today," he said, beaming.
"MGS4 has been an extremely difficult project. At one point, it was like an eternal spiral where the game felt like it would never get completed no matter how hard we worked on it."

Interestingly, Kojima also took the opportunity to make some comments on the current situation of the game industry, with Japanese publishers increasingly leaning toward casual games that don't require expensive development.

"Casual games have become mainstream in the industry," he declared. "It's not just a Japanese phenomenon but also something that's happening worldwide. There are new markets and possibilities opening up thanks to the trend, which is great. But on the other hand, we shouldn't forget about the hardcore gamers whose lives are about videogames. The gamers who consider video games a subculture, and enjoy taking their time to sit down and play games that gives them energy and courage. I wanted to remind those gamers about the fun of video games."

"Unfortunately, overseas game production companies, which are well-funded and extremely skilled, have surpassed us by a couple of steps. It was once said that Japan molded the world's video game [industry], but that's becoming a thing of the past. Sad as it may be, it's the truth."

"We developed MGS4 for fans that love Metal Gear. But at the same time, I was creating it with some hopes to stir a revival of [non-casual] videogames."