I think all the crotch grabbing in MGS confirms that notion.
Yeah. He’s stagnated pretty heavily when it comes to game innovations. I think I remember an interview with him where he actually gave recognition to GTAV with it’s three person swap mechanic. He loved it, wished he came up with it and doubted himself with MGSV for a bit. That’s maybe the one time (recentlyish) i’ve seen his ego crack.
I remember him being depressed or whatever about GTA as well. And given the litterbox we played in MGSV, I see why
How could I forget the crotch grabbing