Mon, Feb 01, 2010 | 13:04 GMT
Kojima: “There is no greater crime” than delaying a game

Hideo Kojima has told of his discontent of delaying Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, saying “there is no greater crime” than pushing games back.
“I always preach to the staff, ‘You must not have a delay after a release date has been announced. There is no greater crime as a game developer,” the Metal Gear creator said on his blog.
“Official announcement of a release date is nothing less than a promise to fans and business partners. In other words, a release date change is like betraying the expectations of everyone.
“It probably takes a long time to earn back trust [from the fans] that has been lost. However we will work hard, with the hope that we will one day earn the support of everyone again.”
Kojima’s words come after it was confirmed on Friday that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was delayed in Japan. It was originally due for a release there on March 18, but will now hit on April 29.
The US and UK release dates of May 25 and May 28 are unaffected.
There’s good reason for Kojima’s sincerity. A while back, he said that Peace Walker would probably have ended up being Metal Gear Solid 5 had it released on a platform other then PSP.
And he’s close to it, homes. And all the big game designs in PW? All his, not his team.
Thanks, Andriasang.


26 comments
#1
mington
01/02/10, 12:17 pm
murdering babies
#2
Gekidami
01/02/10, 12:22 pm
A simple solution would be to just not announce hazey target dates months before the games ready…
#3
Patrick Garratt
01/02/10, 12:31 pm
bumming old people
#4
mington
01/02/10, 12:33 pm
@3
i don’t know, they might enjoy it
#5
Crazyreyn
01/02/10, 12:35 pm
Surely a greater crime would be to release a game unfinished?
#6
mington
01/02/10, 12:35 pm
Surely a greater crime would be bumming the queen
#7
OrphanageExplosion
01/02/10, 12:37 pm
The very words I live by…
#8
mington
01/02/10, 12:40 pm
on a serious note, i thought playing darksiders with that horrendous screen tearing was criminal, i would’ve much preferred they delayed it a couple of weeks, or maybe i should just take off my dress
#9
Syrok
01/02/10, 12:45 pm
Sometimes the crime is not to delay games ie when they are not finished.
#10
mington
01/02/10, 12:47 pm
sometimes the crime is dark void
lolz, lets do some dark void bashing
#11
mington
01/02/10, 12:51 pm
sometimes the crime is a smoking hairless monkey
#12
mington
01/02/10, 12:51 pm
…in silver pants
#13
Moonwalker1982
01/02/10, 12:52 pm
He’s right to a certain extent. I don’t want to buy a unfinished game with bugs and all that nonsense. But i do feel that lately developers waaaaaaay too easily anounce a release date , only to anounce a delay when the game is about to come out pretty soon.
For example, i can already feel the delay anouncement for the new Prince of Persia coming, if that’s not gonna happen, i would be surprised.
#14
Icebox
01/02/10, 12:56 pm
Kojima and his team have already committed the greatest crime in gaming – the writing in MGS4.
#15
mington
01/02/10, 12:58 pm
that whole wedding scene was total garbage
i
have
you
(and rotten teeth)
#16
Retroid
01/02/10, 12:59 pm
FACT: If genocide would somehow deliver a Kojima game on time, he’s prepared to do it.
Probably using clones with evil arms piloting mooing mechs.
#17
Ashwin
01/02/10, 1:00 pm
There is no greater crime … than mixing up “then” and “than”.
#18
mington
01/02/10, 1:08 pm
apparently, there no greater crime…than mixing up “my girlfriend” and “her sister”
#19
OrphanageExplosion
01/02/10, 1:15 pm
There is no greater crime than artificially extending your game with pain-inducing cut-scenes that last much longer than the actual gameplay itself.
#20
Gheritt White
01/02/10, 1:30 pm
@ 18: How about mixing “your girlfriend” and “your sister?
On topic: a much greater crime is delivering a poor quality, technically-impaired game.
#21
mington
01/02/10, 1:42 pm
my sister? dude thats sick
#22
Psychotext
01/02/10, 1:47 pm
I always considered his cutscenes to be a crime against humanity.
#23
mington
01/02/10, 1:53 pm
here here
i actually feel asleep during that prolonged graveyard end scene
#24
Icebox
01/02/10, 4:04 pm
I turned my speakers off when the end credits rolled as the length of the final cutscenes was driving me mad. I then noticed the MGS4 logo on screen for ages, so I turned the speakers back on to find snake and otacon having another conversation! The game just didn’t seem to want to end.
#25
mington
01/02/10, 4:10 pm
#26
polygem
01/02/10, 6:52 pm
greater crime: motion controllers