Metal Gear Online Sneaking Offline in June

Konami has announced that Metal Gear Online will be shutting down for good on June 21, just a few days after it celebrates its fourth anniversary.

Metal Gear Online originally launched alongside Metal Gear Solid 4 back in 2008, though the title shares a name with the earlier, much different multiplayer component of Metal Gear Sold 3: Subsistence. At its peak, the game touted an impressive 1.3 million members, but those numbers have long since subsided to empty servers. Now, Konami has finally decided to pull the plug for good.

The shutdown will be gradual, beginning with the closure of the game's online shop on March 21. Then, on April 24, registration will be shut down to all new players. As a bonus to anyone who was already playing, all the expansion packs and reward shop equipment will be made available free of charge for a sort of last hurrah.

Finally, on June 12, one minute before midnight Japan Standard Time, Metal Gear Online will officially come to a close.