Any gamer worth their gamerscore knows never to trust a title’s initial release date, as last minute calendar shuffling has become pretty much standard for most major releases. But just because all the cool kids are doing it doesn’t make it okay, according to Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima.

“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,” said Kojima on his blog in reaction to the disappointing delay of Metal Gear Solid: 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.”

Don’t beat yourself up about this too much, Kojima-san! We still support you, especially since you have the decency to apologize for something that most developers and publishers don’t even bother to acknowledge, aside from an updated Amazon product page.