Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater have been pulled from digital sales, due to expiring licenses for some of the historical footage used in the game’s cinematic sequences.
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The news was officially announced by Konami, with the company noting that “select historical archive footage” was the reason behind both games, as well as any products that contained them, needing to be pulled from digital storefronts. At the moment, Konami says they are in the process of renewing the licenses for the footage in question, but that beginning today, fans won’t be able to buy the games until a fix is found.
In total, the affected games and bundles that will no longer be available for sale until a remedy is found include:
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD Edition for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD Edition for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita
- Metal Gear Solid HD Edition for PlayStation 3
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation Now
- Metal Gear Solid HD Edition: 2 & 3 for Xbox 360
- Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D for Nintendo 3DS
- Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance on GOG.com
- Metal Gear Solid 2 HD for NVIDIA Shield TV
- Metal Gear Solid 3 HD for NVIDIA Shield TV
It’s unclear exactly what footage from the game saw its license expire, although both games feature historical footage that plays during scenes. While this might not have been an issue in the days of physical media, digital streaming has extended the longevity of games and forced companies to have to revisit how they keep their titles available forever.
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At the moment, Konami asks that fans be patient and understanding as they try and work on making the games purchasable once again.
