20 Mind-Blowing Things You Didn't Know About Metal Gear Solid 2
7. Raiden Was Created To Make The Game More Appealing To Women
The game's big protagonist switcheroo of course rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way, but beyond Kojima simply trolling his own fanbase by swapping Solid Snake out for Raiden, he also had a more earnest reason for doing so.
Kojima claims that he created Raiden after hearing female debuggers who worked on the original Metal Gear Solid note that the game didn't do much for them.
Kojima's apparent solution? Give them a more "accessible" hero whose soft androgynous features were more approachable and identifiable to women, compared to Solid Snake's gruffer face, voice, and general personality, which some naturally saw as standoffish.
Despite the obvious controversies of Raiden's introduction, it certainly didn't hurt the game's sales any.