Two Metal Gear Solid titles have been pulled from digital storefronts starting today, with Konami actively working to bring them back. The issue with the games relates to some of the historical footage used within them, which the licensing on has since lapsed.
The two games in question are Metal Gear Solid 2, as well as Metal Gear Solid 3 which have seen removals from PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS platforms, as well as online stores GOG and Nvidia Shield. These removals are planned to only be temporary, as soon as they can rectify the licensing, which the company stated on the portal for these games on their website.
Unfortunately, although we know Konami is trying to bring them back, there is no timeframe in which we can expect their return to the storefronts. The post stated, “We sincerely ask for your patience and understanding as we work towards making these products available for purchase once again.”
In other Metal Gear Solid-related news, according to VGC a new Metal Gear Solid title, as well as a new Castlevania title are currently in development. According to their sources, the title is being developed by external studio Virtuos and is currently early in development. This is part of a restructuring effort being made in Konami’s game division that is putting more focus on game development, as the company had recently moved away from that into the mobile game market, as well as their already successful pachinko division.
Other expansions back into the traditional gaming market included a contest Konami held in October giving independent developers the chance to develop older IPs, with the chance to win 18,000 dollars as well as a commercial release of their game. The company has also partnered with indie horror developer Bloober Team for some yet unknown projects. Based on rumors earlier this year, this collaboration might yield a new Silent Hill title as well.
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.