A good majority of the gaming industry has apparently just taken the red pill. But just how deep does the rabbit hole really go?

What are we on about? According to a number of sources, most of whom are simply taking the piss, Dr Sergio Canavero’s proposed head transplant procedure (creatively named ‘HEAVEN’ for head anastomosis venture) is all just part of an intricate and very elaborate marketing PR stunt for the upcoming release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Something Kojima and Konami have been planning for years now.

This image, originally published on NeoGAF, says it best:

This probably isn’t a coincidence, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fanciful conspiracy either.

We’re not one to steal Kotaku or NeoGAF’s thunder, Kotaku UK originally published the conspiracy theory, but this is just too interesting a theory to ignore.

The theory, like any good conspiracy theory, is built almost entirely upon circumstantial evidence, probable coincidence and speculation. Here’s what we know; you decide for yourself.

It essentially started back in 2010 when Hideo Kojima, project head for all things Metal Gear, tweeted about the ethical ramifications of an as-of-yet-unannounced project: “The next project will challenge a certain type of taboo. If I mess up, I’ll probably have to leave the industry. However, I don’t want to pass by avoiding that. I turn 47 this year. It’s been 24 years since I started making games. Today, I got an ally who would happily support me in that risk. Although it’s just one person. For a start, it’s good.”

Moreover, throughout his medical career, Dr Sergio Canavero has focussed some degree of attention on phantom pain, and phantom pain-like, conditions.

This has lead any number of people around the internet to inundate news sources, forums and everything else in-between with a supposed causal link between Dr Sergio Canavero’s proposed HEAVEN procedure and the forthcoming The Phantom Pain Release.

For as circumstantial as the evidence is, it’s still intriguing.

That is nowhere near enough evidence on its own, and then more was uncovered.

• Valery Spiridonov, the 30-year-old volunteer who will receive the transplanted body, is a computer programmer and graphic designer. It’s a stretch, admittedly, but it’s something to wrap your head around (the pun wasn’t intended, but it’s funny how things work out).
•  Dr Sergio Canavero’s HEAVEN proposal was made at TED Limassol, which as you can clearly see is an anagram for “Solid Metals”. Coincidence? Yes, very likely. For this “coincidence” to be more than that, to be a part of the alleged marketing campaign, TED Limassol would likely have to be fictional. Or alternatively, the entire event is another construct of the marketing campaign. That seems a little too unbelievable for us. It’s an absurd amount of effort and cost just for the sake of planting an anagram, something most will never notice.
•  As you will have undoubtedly noticed by now, the procedure (HEAVEN) has a remarkably similar name to the Outer Heaven organisation in Metal Gear.

And there’s more circumstantial evidence to be found on posts like Kotaku’s and the one written by Business Insider.

It all just works somehow. Or at least that’s what the conspiracy theorists would have you believe. The thing is, Dr Sergio Canavero is an established and really quite well known neurosurgeon with a great number of published medical papers to his name. Heck, he’s responsible for bringing a vegetative patient out of coma. We doubt that he would put his medical license on the line, as well as his moral standard, for the sake of a video game. Surely he has a moral compass.

We think that Kojima noticed Dr Canavero’s interest in phantom pain research and unabashedly copied his likeness as a tribute. Perhaps he knew full well that the controversy would take place. After all, irrespective of the outcome, it’s fantastic PR for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Or he had every intention of copying Dr Canavero, but didn’t intend or hadn’t predicted the debacle it has now caused.

You decide for yourself. But keep in mind that both conspiracy theories and Metal Gear thrive on being as convoluted and obtuse as possible, which is why they go together like strawberries and cream. But it’s also why this theory holds little water.

It’s a great thought, though.

Source: Kotaku UK