'Metal Gear Solid' games removed from storefronts due to license issues

Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid games famously depict a world of conspiracy and intrigue, where factions of oligarchs jockey with each other for pole position in global affairs, and people perish in the crossfire. Well, unfortunately for Metal Gear fans, the cabal has finally decided that enough is enough, and now the original trilogy of games themselves have become casualties of the ongoing shadowy global affairs.

Yes, various versions of the original Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: The Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater are no longer for sale on many gaming storefronts. According to publisher Konami, this surprise removal is due to licensing issues with the historical archive footage used in the original trilogy. But then again, isn't that exactly what they'd want you to think?

Connect the dots — In a statement, Konami said that this removal is a "temporary suspension" that will be lifted at some point in the future. It's unclear if this means that the unlicensed footage will be removed from the games or not. (Considering the sheer amount of licensed footage in the cutscenes of the original Metal Gear Solid alone, such a move would seem unlikely, but this is Konami we're talking about.)

"Thank you for playing the Metal Gear series," the statement reads in part. "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 8th November 2021."

FOXDIE — The removed games include versions on the PS3, Vita, Xbox 360, Nvidia Shield, and PC (via GOG). Perhaps our heroes at Outer Heaven will manage a counter-strike against the Patriots to make the games available for sale sometime soon, but for now, the timetable is unclear. If you absolutely must play the original MGS trilogy, we're been assured by confidential sources that the games emulate reasonably well these days, but you didn't hear it from us.

If you see any black helicopters circling overhead, we recommend turning your computer off and calling your local FOXHOUND representative. They'll know what to do.