Konami servers crippled by demand for MGS4
Tuesday, 20 May 2008 12:14
"Gimme the limited edition, motherf**ker!" And they say gaming doesn't inspire violence!
Konami has stopped taking pre-orders for the Metal Gear Solid 4 (MGS4) hardware bundle, having underestimated demand to such an extent its servers were crippled.
A US deal launched on the official website advertising a PlayStation 3 bundle with MGS4 included was the root cause of the server issues.
Eager fans were hoping to get their order for the limited edition Gunmetal PS3 bundle, sold exclusively through Konami's official online store.
All they did manage to get their hands on, however, were numerous "503 error" screens, according to Kotaku, who colourfully described the whole debacle as a "clusterf**k of massive proportions".
Overstating it a touch as Kotaku were, the store is now back online. However, it also says allocated pre-order stock numbers for the day have been reached, basically meaning the only option was to "check back tomorrow".
Konami has never had a reputation for solidly built and reliable internet servers (Pro Evo, anybody?), it would be wise for the company to prepare themselves for another onslaught of internet users - or it will be the Metal Gear Online beta scenario all over again.