The creators of the Metal Gear Solid Unreal Engine 4 remake titled Shadow Moses announce that their project has been cancelled for 'reasons beyond our control'.

In a move that is sure to surprise no one, the creators of the planned Metal Gear Solid fan remake Shadow Moses have cancelled their project. The creators would not offer a concrete reason for the project’s cancellation, instead saying that “reasons beyond our control” brought about the decision.

Ever since its announcement, the Metal Gear Solid fan remake seemed destined to fail. The creators knew that they were treading dangerous waters by attempting to remake a game with such a high profile (and a major negative stigma around the franchise), but they hoped that being as open as possible about the project would help them secure approval from Konami.

For those that may not be familiar, Shadow Moses was to be an Unreal Engine 4 version of the original Metal Gear Solid that released for the PlayStation back in 1998. It’s true that there have been remakes of the game since then, most notably Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, but this project was going the “same game but with modern visuals” route.

Unfortunately, it appears as if the Metal Gear Solid remake did not get Konami’s approval and was likely cancelled as a result. It’s also entirely possible that the creators cancelled the project on their own, but the openness of their messaging suggests outside forces put the remake down.

Hi guys!

We have an important announcement to make today:

We have to cancel the Shadow Moses Project for reasons beyond our control.

We would like to thank everyone for the tremendous support we have received.

Shadow Moses team.

Gamers can say what they will about fan made remakes, but at the end of the day it’s an entity/individual using the intellectual property of a major company. Some IP holders choose to let the fan projects go unchecked, and a few even promote those remakes, but the majority tends to shoot them down. It’s simply the way these things tend to work out.

But for Metal Gear fans this is yet another sad footnote to a story that’s been brewing for quite a while now. Konami’s fallout with MGS creator Hideo Kojima has put a very dark cloud over anything Metal Gear related and moreover put the future of the franchise in check.

Konami has said that the Metal Gear series will continue without Kojima, but it’s hard to imagine that game getting the same kind of attention that Metal Gear Solid 5 or MGS 4 did. In fact, it’s more likely that fans will boycott any new Metal Gear should Konami choose to release one.

So while the Metal Gear Solid remake did have the support of the fans it ultimately didn’t get the support of the most important people: Konami. We would have loved to see the finished product, but alas it was not meant to be.

Source: Shadow Moses Facebook (via Game Informer)