Despite being playable completely solo, Metal Gear Survive will require a constant internet connection in order to play the game Konami has confirmed.

The official website for Metal Gear Survive says “internet connection is required to play the game.”

A fair enough statement if you’re opting to play the co-op element of Metal Gear Survive, but this online component is required even you’re playing all on your lonesome. The reasoning behind it seems to be that both singleplayer and co-op are somewhat intertwined, with progress and rewards from single-player carrying over to the multiplayer. This has necessitated forcing the player to be online at all times.

“Metal Gear Survive is composed of two main modes: Single Player and Co-op,” explains Konami. “Single Player takes you through the story of Metal Gear Survive while learning fundamental gameplay elements. Single Player lets you explore a strange ruined world as you seek answers and a way to return home. These skills will be put to the test in online Co-op mode. Progress and rewards obtained in both Singleplayer and Co-op mode carry over and apply to your character across both modes.”

The inner cynic in me hazards a guess Konami just won’t be able to resist loading this up to the high heavens with microtransactions. It’s just absolutely perfectly poised for it and we saw the groundwork being laid with MGSV: The Phantom Pain. Time will tell, but alarm bells are ringing.

Metal Gear Survive is out on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from February 20th.