Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game officially cancelled

The MGS board game designed by Emerson Matsuuchi might not see the light of day, as IDW Publishing has decided to cancel the production of the game.

Sorry, but Snake isn't coming to tabletop gaming anymore. IDW Publishing officially canceled Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game, creator Emerson Matsuuchi confirmed.

NO MORE METAL GEAR SOLID: THE BOARD GAME

The future seems bleak for the Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game, as creator and designer Emerson Matsuuchi confirmed that IDW has canceled its production. In a post on the BoardGameGeek forums, Matsuuchi stated that “The decision was made back in December not to move forward with the MGS Project.” In spite of this setback, Matsuuchi says he has tried all avenues to keep the project going, even offering to “buy out IDW’s interest in the project along with purchasing all of the assets.” However, he says he couldn't get any traction from this path, and has thus been forced to abandon the project.

Meanwhile, in spite of IDW canceling the MGS board game, Matsuuchi says he has re-acquired the rights for the design. This implies that he can still push through with the production of the board game eventually. Now, they only need to get the license for the game to get it going.

“We’re working to keep this project alive and exploring possible options,” says Matsuuchi. “While there are no guarantees that our efforts will bear fruit, I’m still optimistic that we will be able to get the MGS game to market, to the patient fans that have been kept waiting.”

DELAYS LED TO CANCELATION

The cancelation of the MGS board game follows numerous delays. IDW advertised the game to be released in 2019. Now the board game is two years delayed. Matsuuchi's team implored fans to be patient during that time. He said that the design team needed more time to iron out the game's mechanics before releasing it. However, it would be these delays that will cause the board game's eventual cancelation. “Ultimately, the amount of time it took to implement these changes just grew longer than expected,” says IDW. “Our window to ship the game on time closed,”

The MGS board game would have played like a 1-4 player co-op board game. Players take the roles of Solid Snake, Otacon, Gray Fox, and Meryl Silverburgh. The game would have put players in different campaign infiltration scenarios. Describing the board game, IDW says that it features “a highly dynamic A.I. system and sandbox gameplay.”