Late last year, several Metal Gear titles were removed from digital storefronts after Konami failed to renew licenses for real-world footage included in the games. But it seems that these fan-favorites are about to return to consoles.
In an otherwise uneventful Twitter post celebrating Metal Gear‘s 35th anniversary, Konami says that it’s “preparing to resume sales of titles that have been temporarily suspended.” Presumably, it has resolved the dispute surrounding Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Peace Walkers.
1987年7月13日に発売された『METAL GEAR』シリーズは、本日35周年を迎えました。
一時販売を停止しておりますタイトルにおいて、販売再開のための準備を進めております。 #METALGEAR #MG35th pic.twitter.com/X7RL5du2qE— メタルギア公式 (METAL GEAR) (@metalgear_jp) July 13, 2022
Konami doesn’t specify which of these titles will return to digital storefronts. But since most of these games launched on consoles that are well over a decade old, their modern digital releases were part of “HD collections” and other bundles. The only exceptions are MGS3 on the 3DS, the standalone HD remasters for PS3, and Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 for the NVIDIA Shield TV.
So, we really hope that Konami isn’t skimping out. Only re-listing the MG3 remaster for PS3 wouldn’t help too many people, especially since the PS4 and PS5 can’t play previous-gen games (though both consoles could stream older Metal Gear games on PS Now before last year’s delisting).
In other news, don’t expect Konami to go above and beyond for the Metal Gear series. The company cut ties with Metal Gear‘s creator, Hideo Kojima, nearly 10 years ago. It has since pivoted to the mobile gaming industry, where it’s making plenty of money.
Source: Konami
