On his blog, Kojima wrote, “I always preach to the staff, ‘You must not have a delay after a release date has been announced. There is no greater crime as a game developer.”

And in response to the delay on MGS: Peace Walker,

“Official announcement of a release date is nothing less than a promise to fans and business partners. In other words, a release date change is like betraying the expectations of everyone. It probably takes a long time to earn back trust [from the fans] that has been lost. However we will work hard, with the hope that we will one day earn the support of everyone again.”

Well schucks, it sure is nice to have an apology, which is a good bit better than what most developers attempt.