Metal Gear Solid Games Removed From Stores
Two Metal Gear Solid games are now being removed from stores.
This article is more than 2 years old
Reflecting upon how Rockstar Games handled their announcement of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, Metal Gear fans had rejoiced when Konami removed some of their Metal Gear titles from digital storefronts. Many thought that, just like Rockstar, Konami is removing the old titles to release their remastered versions – which we already discussed in our previous report. Unfortunately, and much to the disappointment of all fans, that isn’t the case; both Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater are being temporarily removed due to licensing issues.
As reported by Screen Rant, Konami has issued a statement regarding Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater’s removal from digital storefronts today. The company is assuring the fandom that the move is temporary and that the publisher is currently trying to renew licenses for select historical footage used in said games. The removal affects 2011’s Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and its separately sold titles, including Metal Gear Solid HD, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS 3: Snake Eater. This affects PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS versions of said titles, followed by their removal from PlayStation Now, GOG, and Nvidia Shield services.
This is hardly the first time licensing issues have affected a prominent gaming series long after they were released. Similar to what’s happening with Metal Gear Solid today, 2010’s Alan Wake disappeared from digital storefronts following the expiration of rights to certain soundtrack material, and Rockstar Games has deleted songs and other items. The former should’ve resolved all the issues by now, given that the Alan Wake remaster was officially announced, and the latter removed more than just songs from their games. Just recently, Rockstar Games removed various depictions of Confederate flags from multiple Grand Theft Auto titles. When it comes to the Metal Gear series, the games have repeatedly used historical warfare footage to help ground some of its more ambitious plot points – the same videos Konami is trying to renew licenses for.
But what is surprising is the fact that an entertainment conglomerate, such as Konami, hadn’t drafted a new licensing deal before the old one expired. Regardless, the fans were caught off-guard, and some have even expressed frustrations over Konami’s actions, especially considering the company’s lack of new releases in recent years. The future of the entire series has been uncertain, ever since the release of 2015’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which rose to critical acclaim despite Hideo Kojima’s departure from Konami. With that said, the company has stated that Kojima would still be involved with Konami and Metal Gear Solid – his best-known and appreciated works.
Following Konami’s restructuring, the entertainment conglomerate is reportedly doubling down on its AAA titles. The publisher probably realized that there’s a massive demand for remakes and remasters of classic titles on modern platforms, including the fan-favorite Silent Hill series, Castlevania, and the legendary Metal Gear Solid gaming series. Hopefully, they will either circumvent the licensing issues next time or at least license the material for a more extended period. A hundred years would suffice.
