Hideo Kojima has explained why the Japanese box art for the original Metal Gear Solid was written vertically, but says some retailers didn’t get the memo.
Metal Gear Solid is a series synonymous with banger box art, with most entries in the series featuring some gorgeous artwork from series artist Yoji Shinkawa – in Japan and Europe that is, the US typically got 3D renders (with worse box art for the US being a tradition Konami is continuing to this very day). However, Europe won out with the original Metal Gear Solid, getting Shinkawa art, as both the US and Japan got a blank white cover with the game’s title on it. However, there were differences: the US copy had the title in red, while the Japanese copy had the title on its side.
When you placed on a shelf, I intentionally designed the package to make customers wonder, “Why is it vertical?!” and pick it up to see what it is, leading them to the game information from there. However, some stores, perhaps trying to be helpful, turned the package sideways and… https://t.co/L7iazGnTsOSeptember 3, 2026
When asked why the title was intentionally misplaced on the Japanese cover, Kojima explains, in a post on Twitter, “When you placed [it] on a shelf, I intentionally designed the package to make customers wonder, ‘Why is it vertical?!’ and pick it up to see what it is, leading them to the game information from there!”
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However, Kojima adds that this didn’t exactly work out as planned, as “some stores, perhaps trying to be helpful, turned the package sideways and displayed it horizontally instead of the way I intended.”
Doing something weird with the cover to pique players’ curiosity isn’t unique to Metal Gear Solid, mind you; the most obvious example is the space shooter Phalanx on the SNES. The European and Japanese covers featured a shot of a spaceship flying away from various explosions, while the US cover consists of an old fella playing the banjo with a tiny spaceship flying past in the background. And it’s definitely the only reason I remember that game off the top of my head.
