Delisted Metal Gear Solid Games Are Coming Back to Digital Stores

By Cade Onder

Some Metal Gear Solid games will be coming back to digital storefronts after they were delisted last year. The Metal Gear Solid series is one of the most beloved franchises in the history of gaming. Not only does it feature a rich group of iconic characters and a riveting, layered story, but it also helped create the "stealth-action" genre. Without it, it's unlikely we'd have games like Splinter Cell, but it also opened the door to so many other franchises thanks to its approach to storytelling. With that said, the series is somewhat difficult to experience these days as some of the best entries were released during the PS2 era and haven't been remade over and over again like some other franchises. At the end of 2021, Konami had to delist Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 from a number of storefronts due to licensing issues, but it seems like they're coming back.

For the 35th anniversary of the Metal Gear franchise, Konami took to Twitter to confirm that it is working to get delisted versions of the Metal Gear games back on digital stores. It's likely this is in reference to Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 despite the fact these titles weren't explicitly mentioned. The licensing issue has revolved around historical footage used in the games and it seems that Konami has ironed all of that out. When these games get re-listed, players should be able to purchase and play the aforementioned Metal Gear Solid games on platforms like Xbox Series X|S via the Xbox 360 backward compatibility. It's unclear if this could open the door to some proper remasters or remakes, but it seems relatively unlikely.

Either way, it's good to hear that Konami is making an effort to try and keep the various Metal Gear Solid titles playable. Fans have taken issue with Konami over the years for largely abandoning some of their greatest IPs and how they've allegedly treated some creators Hideo Kojima. Whether Metal Gear Solid has any future outside of this remains to be seen.

Will you revisit the Metal Gear Solid series when these delisted titles return? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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