Konami struggles to deliver MGO add-on

By Robert Purchese Published 21 July, 2008

Too many people, not enough internet.

The Metal Gear Online Gene Expansion pack has collapsed under the weight of internet demand.

Konami support lists a long line of hiccups. First the Metal Gear Online and Reward shops were temporarily closed, before Konami began restricting IP ranges to try and manage the load.

Then all Survival Battles were cancelled and reports of hundreds of MGO Shop transactions failing to materialise flooded in.

Konami continues to apologise for the "ongoing problems and all inconveniences caused", and its European arm is looking into things for us.

The Gene Expansion pack came out on Thursday and costs EUR 9.99 (approximately GBP 8). It was supposed to add a trio of maps, a Survival mode, the Reward shop, plus more heroes and female characters.

Metal Gear Online is the multiplayer component to Metal Gear Solid 4. Pop over to our Metal Gear Online review to find out more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (21) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • syphaa #1 4 years ago

    I have yet to update but after hearing all the problems when this rolled out I thought I would leave it a while, im sure many other peeps are doing the same. Konami don't quite comprehend the strain from the online games community I don't think.

  • Psiloc #2 4 years ago

    Another reason to abandon the abysmal online system they have.

  • asphaltcowboy #3 4 years ago

    lol @ restricting IP ranges to manage the load! :D

  • bad09 #4 4 years ago

    Haven't played for a while (engrossed in MGS4) so not noticed any problems TBH. Didn't realize the pack was up. 8 quid is a expensive but I might have to bite, damn you Konami!!!!

  • berelain #5 4 years ago

    Ye gods, I can see now why companies prefer to use the Xbox Live model rather than hosting their own servers if this is the sort of mess it makes. MGO isn't even a huge online game (compared to mammoths like Call of Duty 4) yet Konami just don't seem to be able to cope with their own creation.

    The constant reports of problems and issues have encouraged me to stay away from MGO; its the sole reason I never bothered installing it despite anecdotal evidence from a couple of friends who play it and say its great. I just prefer my online gaming hassle-free.

  • Darren #6 4 years ago

    LOL @ Konami's incompetence!

    I mean this doesn't surprise me at all given how moronic the whole approach to MGO has been by Konami, i.e. the fact that you have to sign up on their website for not one but TWO usernames rather than being able to access it via your PSN username as you'd expect.

    Thankfully I'm more than delighted with MGS 4 as an offline game so aren't really that bothered what they do with MGO to be honest, although having tried it a couple of times, it's not too bad as far as these things go.

  • Fab4 #7 4 years ago

    Anyone who has played PES knows Konami are shocking at game hosting.

  • gamefan #8 4 years ago

    If they canm they should sub contract it out to a US or European provider. The japanese developers seem to struggle with online gaming. The US and Europe have it sussed now.

    or is this not possibel?

  • bad09 #9 4 years ago

    @ berelain

    TBH it is hassle free. After the initial pain it the arse of registering I've yet to really experience any problems in games or finding them.

    Plus it is really good fun so don't let horror stories scare you out of a great online game!

  • aidey6 #10 4 years ago

    They have sold around 1 milion units in Europe alone, it has actually helped shift hardware (something that GTA4 did n't surprisingly) yet are surprised that their most popular title would be busy online, have they learnt nothing from Pro Evo 08?! FFS Konami sort yourselves out

  • Res #11 4 years ago

    "I can see now why companies prefer to use the Xbox Live model rather than hosting their own servers if this is the sort of mess it makes."

    Sony can host addons on their own servers, Konami stupidly decided that they want to handle it all themselves.
    Edited by 1 at 21/07/08 @ 10:21

  • Arwin #12 4 years ago

    @Res: indeed.

  • Psiloc #13 4 years ago

    Why have Konami decided to do it all themselves? I understand it enables them to limit one account to a console rather than to a username... but is all this hassle really worth it? How much money do they save from shared consoles anyway? Can't be that much.

  • phatb0y #14 4 years ago

    Konami + Internet = Train Wreck

    Again.

  • Steroyd #15 4 years ago

    The online itself is very good, the lobby system is very good, hell even the matchmaking (outside of picking 2/3 modes I don't want to play when I pick Team Sneaking for example).

    So far the stability is touch and go, sometimes I have no problems playing for a couple of hours, the next i'm getting unstable connection message, since the 1.10 update there's been horrible lag (which I thought it was from me hosting), region locking and having nothing to do whatsoever with PSN at all (yet you have to be logged onto PSN to play MGO wtf!?) is also minus points, why the Konami store, why aren't the maps on the PSN store ffs.

    Game needs a party system to go with the matchmaking, but this is just another feather in the cap theat the majority of Japaneese devs don't have a cliue with online with very very few exceptions in genral.

    Not buying the new maps till they get released on the PSN, IF they get released on the PSN.

  • mattigan #16 4 years ago

    "Sony can host addons on their own servers, Konami stupidly decided that they want to handle it all themselves."

    Yes, but i beleive the point being made, was that with LIVE they wouldn't have had the choice, they would HAVE to go with LIVE and as a part of that would have had to ENSURE that it was workable before unleashing it upon the great unwashed.

  • Landmaster #17 4 years ago

    They'd better give the expansion pack out for free now.
    Otherwise i don't accept their apology! :(

  • RandomTerrain #18 4 years ago

    This is what you get for trying to be greedy Konami.
    Now sort it out and do it the way it should be done!

  • eepic #19 4 years ago

    hah, have fun playing your only "AAA" game sony nerds

    GEARS OF WAR = GOTY 2008 heard it here first!!

  • Steroyd #20 4 years ago

    Yes they do, and isn't PES08 as botched on the XBL as it is on PSN?

  • JediMasterMalik #21 4 years ago

    Don't be silly, XBL is perfect.

  • Darren #22 4 years ago

    Oh right so that'll be why PES 2008 on the Xbox 360 also required a patch to fix online issues too then? ;)