If there is one PS1 game that truly garnered a whole generation of fans, it is the original "Metal Gear Solid" title. Featuring arguably the coolest main character in a video game with a rather stylish and surprisingly deep story, "Metal Gear Solid" eventually gave birth to a million dollar franchise, with its latest title "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" being one of the highlights of last summer's E3.
Last October, Airam Hernandez, a particularly dedicated fan of the franchise, released a teaser trailer for an unofficial remake of the first "Metal Gear Solid" game, dubbed "Project Shadow Moses." What made the planned remake quite remarkable was the fact that it was set to utilize Unreal Engine 4, thereby effectively transposing Solid Snake's original adventure into the world of HD gaming.
When the project's teaser trailer debuted last January, fans were delighted to see that the planned remake seemed to everything fans wanted - a faithful remake that stays true to the spirit of the original "Metal Gear Solid" title, while updating its graphics to the present day's standards. Obviously a labor of love, it would have been one colossal tribute to the beloved franchise.
Sadly, the developers of the "Shadow Moses Project" announced on Saturday that the planned Unreal Engine 4 remake has been definitively cancelled.
"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," the team said through its Facebook Page.
Though the developers of the unofficial remake did not state the reasons for the cessation of their activities, a number of fans have began speculating that Konami, the company which owns the rights to "Metal Gear Solid" and its characters, possibly got involved.
After all, if one looks at the updates from the game developers during the past few weeks, it seems as if the development of the game was proceeding smoothly. Thus, the sudden announcement, as well as the mention of factors "beyond (their) control," definitely screams outside interference.
As of writing, however, neither the game's developers nor Konami have provided any further details about the sudden halt to the unofficial remake's development.
