Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy sequel cancelled

Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy, a fan film which won praise from Hideo Kojima himself, will not be getting a sequel.

The makers of Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy, Hive Division, have announced the cancellation of the movie's follow-up.

The group did not say that Konami scotched the project, but it certainly sounds like there were licensing issues of some kind.

"The end-result is that MGSP2 cannot be officially authorized and, unlike when we made MGSP1, the risk we would face if we proceeded without proper authorization would be too great," Hive Division said in a statement published on PlayStation University.

The news comes just a few days before the project was to be funded by an Indiegogo campaign, which may be part of the problem. Crowdfunding can complicate fan projects, potentially edging them into complicated legal territory instead of the relatively safe realm of not-for-profit.

Well, at least we have this 12 minute taster of what might have been.