Konami is planning to reinstate numerous Metal Gear games that had been temporarily removed from sale last November as part of the franchise’s 35th anniversary celebrations.
A tweet shared on the official Japanese Metal Gear account can confirm that Konami is looking to “resume sales of titles that have been temporarily suspended,” coupled with the reminder that the first Metal Gear game, which released on July 13, 1987, celebrates its 35th anniversary today.
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。
— メタルギア公式 (METAL GEAR) (@metalgear_jp) July 13, 2022
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
Konami delisted as many as nine Metal Gear titles in November because of historical archive footage that was used in the game, and although it had failed to provide an idea of when they would return at the time, they will seemingly be back on storefronts pretty soon.
Konami’s original statement:
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 8, 2021.
The games that were removed:
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD Edition on PS3 and PS Vita
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD Edition on PS3 and PS Vita
- Metal Gear Solid HD Edition on PS3
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on PS Vita and PS Now
- Metal Gear Solid HD Edition: 2 & 3 on Xbox 360
- Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D on Nintendo 3DS
- Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance on GOG.com
- Metal Gear Solid 2 HD for SHIELD TV on NVIDIA Shield
- Metal Gear Solid 3 HD for SHIELD TV on NVIDIA Shield
New Metal Gear projects are reportedly in the works. They include a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which is supposedly being developed by Virtuos, a Chinese studio, and remasters of older Metal Gear Solid games.
Source: Metal Gear (via VGC)