Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 have vanished from storefronts

The Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 HD remasters have been temporarily removed from sale, Konami has confirmed.

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The Japanese publisher issued a statement to clarify why these games have been removed from sales across various platforms and digital storefronts.

According to Konami, Metal Gear Solid 2 and its Cold War sequel feature licensed archive footage. These licenses have since expired and need to be renewed if these games are to be sold on the PlayStation Store and other digital marketplaces.

Here is the official statement, direct from Konami:

We are currently working on renewing the licenses for select historical archive footage used in-game, therefore, we have made the temporary decision to begin suspending the sale of Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 and all products that include these games from digital storefronts globally starting from November 8th, 2021.

We sincerely ask for your patience and understanding as we work towards making these products available for purchase once again.

The following Metal Gear Solid games won’t be available to purchase for the time being:

・PlayStation 3 – METAL GEAR SOLID 2 SONS OF LIBERTY HD EDITION
・PlayStation 3 – METAL GEAR SOLID 3 SNAKE EATER HD EDITION
・PlayStation 3 – METAL GEAR SOLID HD EDITION
・PlayStation Vita – METAL GEAR SOLID 2 SONS OF LIBERTY HD EDITION
・PlayStation Vita – METAL GEAR SOLID 3 SNAKE EATER HD EDITION
・PlayStation Vita – METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION
・PlayStation Now – METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION
・Xbox 360 – METAL GEAR SOLID HD EDITION: 2 & 3
・Nintendo 3DS – METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D
・GOG.com – METAL GEAR SOLID 2 SUBSTANCE
・NVIDIA SHIELD – METAL GEAR SOLID 2 HD for SHIELD TV
・NVIDIA SHIELD – METAL GEAR SOLID 3 HD for SHIELD TV

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection originally launched exactly 10 years ago. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions also included Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker which seems to be exempt from the licensing issues that have recently emerged.

The collection was remastered by Bluepoint Games. Acquired by Sony in 2021, Bluepoint has brought a number of famous games back to life, including Shadow of the Colossus and Demons Souls. It has been rumoured for a long time that one of the studio’s upcoming projects is a Metal Gear Solid remake.

Hopefully fans won’t have to wait long for these games to return to sale and Sony’s streaming service.

As highlighted by VGC, there may be issues bringing Metal Gear Solid HD Collection back to PlayStation Vita. Sony closed the gates to new game submissions earlier this year which could impact the game’s return though Konami has yet to comment on this.

Source: Konami

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Tags: Konami, metal gear solid, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection