Konami has officially shut down Metal Gear Online, after a surprisingly long four-year run. The game's online service ended just a few hours ago, slightly ahead of the proposed June 21 date that was previously announced.

"The service was originally intended to have a life span of 3 years," read a statement from Konami. "However, out of respect for our loyal fans, we have continually pushed back this deadline in order to support our online community. Nevertheless, we have regretfully come to a point where players have experienced all that this iteration of Metal Gear Online is able to offer."

Konami chose to end it a little more than a week before it had previously claimed. But that seems fair enough to make the end-date exactly four years after the game's launch with Metal Gear Solid 4. "All of the staff involved would like to offer our deepest thanks for the support we've gotten since launch," Konami said. "Thank you for coming with us on this journey. Your help allowed MGO to grow and mature. We regret that this journey must end, but we sincerely hope that we will have the opportunity to serve you again in the future."