In a recent interview, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots assistant producer Ryan Payton talked about the possibility of a Metal Gear Solid 5 and what will be in it when it materializes. Hints of a prequel were dropped along with insights on the franchise as a whole.

Payton pointed to some misunderstandings that people may have about MGS4. He said that the game is indeed the final chapter in the Solid Snake storyline, but there's still room for more storytelling in other time frames. Specifically, he veered to the direction of the past.

Payton commented that there's "still a lot of room for filling in the gaps as far as Big Boss is concerned." He then explained that this is a more feasible way of going about things.

"It gets to the point where if we continue on with Metal Gear Solid 5 with more Solid Snake adventures, we'll get to the point where the game has absolutely no basis in reality," comments the producer. He went on further to say:

I do like the idea that this character has had four or five big missions and then that's when it ended, rather than have 20 missions where there's no chance in hell a secret agent could ever survive.

Payton then talked about game controls and whether or not Japanese developers should adopt a more Western approach to laying them out or sticking to their formula. "I wouldn't say they need to adopt western ideas, but rather that they simply need to improve them," he said.

Finally, Payton said that everything is on track with additional content for Metal Gear Online. He said new maps and other downloadable stuff are coming soon to give players who have mastered the ones in the Starter Pack a breath of fresh air.