Metal Gear Solid Delta Gives Xbox Players a Bomberman Battle Instead of Monkeys

Well, it’s official. Bomberman is now part of the Metal Gear Solid canon—sort of. Konami just confirmed that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will feature a Bomberman crossover mode exclusively on Xbox Series X/S, and yes, it’s exactly as chaotic as it sounds. If you were wondering whether this remake was going to go full Konami, wonder no more.

Today’s Xbox-specific trailer finally dropped the bomb (pun intended). While PS5 and Steam players will get the classic Snake vs Monkey minigame—featuring Pipo Monkeys from Ape Escape—Xbox players get their own flavor of retro madness: Snake vs Bomberman. According to the trailer description,

"Snake vs Bomberman for Xbox Series X/S. Take control of Snake and face off with Bomberman in this special side mode. Blast 'em away in each stage!"

There you have it, in Konami’s own words. Snake. Bomberman. One arena. Multiple stages. Explosions inevitable.

This kind of platform-exclusive mini-mode feels like something out of the early 2000s, which is fitting considering Snake Eater originally launched in 2004. It’s that same PS2-era chaos—where games had crossovers for no real reason other than vibes—brought to 2025 with Unreal Engine 5 polish. And somehow, Bomberman fits. Barely.

On a more serious note, this surprise crossover highlights how Konami is choosing to remake Metal Gear Solid 3 not just as a beat-for-beat visual upgrade, but as a nostalgic reboot with platform-locked surprises. That’s a risky strategy in a franchise as canon-heavy as Metal Gear, but it tracks with how Konami has been reapproaching its old IPs lately.

The original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was released in 2004 on PlayStation 2 and is often regarded as one of Hideo Kojima’s finest works. Set decades before Solid Snake’s adventures, it follows Naked Snake (later Big Boss) during a Cold War-era operation in the Soviet jungle. Unlike its predecessors, Snake Eater focused heavily on survival mechanics—camouflage, stamina, and environmental threats—while building a complex origin story for the series’ legendary characters.

Delta is being positioned as a faithful remake, with no changes to the core story or character arcs, but with fully redone visuals, sound, and physics. According to producer Noriaki Okamura, it’s designed for a new generation that didn’t grow up with Kojima’s work.

“It was basically our mission, our duty, to kind of continue making sure that the series lives on for future generations,” he said in a past interview.

Still, Kojima himself isn’t involved this time, which has made some fans nervous. With that in mind, Konami is leaning into nostalgia, and these side modes are part of that equation.

So, how did Bomberman get involved in Metal Gear?

It’s not actually as random as it sounds. Bomberman is one of Konami’s oldest and most beloved franchises, even though it originally started in 1983 as a Hudson Soft game. When Konami absorbed Hudson Soft in 2012, Bomberman became part of its portfolio. Since then, the character has made cameo appearances in several Konami projects, but never anything quite like this.

The original Bomberman was a maze-based action game where players dropped bombs to clear paths and eliminate enemies in grid-based arenas. Over the years, it’s evolved into a fast-paced party game staple, especially in multiplayer circles. Bringing that energy into Metal Gear—a series known for tension, stealth, and psychological warfare—is definitely unexpected, but not totally incompatible. After all, Metal Gear has always had room for absurdity alongside its gravitas.

Just remember, this isn’t a full-on Bomberman game. It’s a bonus mode. A strange side mission. A little Xbox-only chaos while the rest of the platforms chase monkeys.

In addition to Snake vs Bomberman, Konami also confirmed that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will include an all-new online multiplayer mode called Fox Hunt. Details are thin right now, but this is notable—Metal Gear Online was a fan-favorite component of previous games like MGS4, and bringing something like that back for the remake could be a smart way to build a long-term player base.

So, what does this mean for Xbox players specifically? It’s a small but interesting gesture. They’re not being left out of legacy content—they’re just getting a different flavor. The PS5/Steam Snake vs Monkey mode is a callback to an old exclusive minigame from the PS2 era, tied to Sony’s Ape Escape franchise. Since Microsoft doesn’t have that IP, Konami went with something it owns outright.

It also suggests Konami is willing to customize the Delta experience based on platform, not for gameplay fundamentals, but for bonus content. That might sound trivial, but in the context of Metal Gear’s obsessive fandom, it adds fuel to the console war fire.

With Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater now confirmed for release on August 28, these last-minute reveals are doing exactly what they need to. They’re stirring up curiosity, giving each platform a little bit of exclusive flair, and reminding us all that this isn’t just a technical remake—it’s a curated, slightly weird reintroduction of a classic.

If you’re on Xbox, you’ll be blowing up Bomberman. If you’re on PlayStation, you’ll be chasing monkeys. And if you’re on Steam, well... maybe both? Either way, the jungle is back—and it’s more crowded than ever.