Tokyo’s Metal Gear Solid 4 launch events cancelled

Due to various reasons undisclosed, Konami has announced that their scheduled June 12 Metal Gear Solid 4 launch events in Japan have been cancelled. Speculation online leads to the recent Akihabara stabbings (which was supposedly linked to the Ninja Gaiden 2 launch) as a possible reason as why the launch celebration was called off. Read more for info and further clarifications.

A sad turn of events in Tokyo, Japan. Konami has just announced that the launch events they have planned for Metal Gear Solid 4 have been cancelled. Originally, the celebration was scheduled to take place in three locations within Tokyo on June 12.

Konami’s official statement doesn’t reveal much on the “why” aspect, and the translation simply states that the cancellation is “due to various reasons.”

Some people online, however, believe that maybe the recent Akihabara stabbings might have something to do with it. See, when the Akihabara story broke out in the news last month, some people have linked it to the Ninja Gaiden 2 launch, so maybe Konami is trying to avoid a similar situation.

While this link to the Akihabara stabbings is unconfirmed, what we do have to note is that MGS4 is not delayed in Japan. Konami announced that the launch events have been cancelled, and they did not, in any way or form, announce that the game’s release was cancelled. There’s a difference.