this isn't the first time an article like this has been published btw, mgs2 has gotten a lot of coverage like this esp after trump got elected and fake news became the term du jour

edit: found this medium article from 4 years ago http://medium.com/defiant/back-in-2001-gamers-battled-fake-news-in-metal-gear-solid-2-a04b4b889e31 as well as this gamesradar one from 3 years ago https://www.gamesradar.com/how-metal-gear-solid-manipulated-its-players-warning-us-of-an-age-of-fake-news-cambridge-analytica-and-data-surveillance/