Though "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker" should still make its May 25th release date in the U.S., the PSP game has been bumped from March 18th to April 29th in Japan. The announcement may ruffle feathers among Japanese gamers, but some of the most critical blogging targeted at the delay has come the game's director, Hideo Kojima.
"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,'" he wrote on the Kojima Productions blog, according to translation work by Andriasang.
The "Metal Gear" series' founder took the deadline change personally in his post, expressing disappointment and deep regret not only to PSP owners, but to other companies as well.
"Official announcement of a release date is nothing less than a promise to fans and business partners," Kojima explained. "In other words, a release date change is like betraying the expectations of everyone."
He pledged to set things back on on course, though, and expects to fight an uphill battle to restore faith in his team's ability to meet deadlines.
"It probably takes a long time to earn back trust that has been lost," he said. "However we will work hard, with the hope that we will one day earn the support of everyone again."
Many other game creators have said a lot less in situations where game delays spanned much longer periods of time. From that perspective, it's refreshing to hear someone as high-profile as Kojima go on the record with such a professional attitude.
Do you agree with Kojima's thoughts on game delays? Would you like to see such sentiments more often when games are delayed? Sound off in the comment section below.