Solid Snake won't slither onto PS3 until Q2 2008

Oh, this has to hurt Sony ...

Here's Konami's official release:

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS Release Update
October 31, 2007

KONAMI announced today that "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS", the latest in the METAL GEAR series, is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2008.

KONAMI had initially intended to release "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" this winter and has been working on the production of the title. KONAMI has decided to delay the title's release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.

KONAMI will continue its efforts to make "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" meet everyone's expectations.

Further information regarding the release date will be announced as soon as possible.
Title: "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS"
Expected Release Date: the second quarter of 2008
Genre: Action
Platform: "PLAYSTATION 3"

Source

S.K.I.L.L.Z.'s take: Sony's PS3 has been facing problems since 2005. First, the system was delayed. Second, when it was released, it meet a less-than-pleased crowd. Third, the so-called triple A titles are barely minor leaguers. And lastly, the Oct. 25th financial report revealed one thing everyone who isn't a Sony fanboy knew - the PS3 was dragging Sony's gaming division into the red. This further hurts Sony's bottom line and trust me on this - if Sony has a dismal holiday season, investors will call for some drastic changes.

There's a crazy prediction by a friend named John Lucas that says Metal Gear will never see the light of day on the PS3. Now, I am starting to believe his wild statement.

The other side of this is ... Konami could be delaying the release so it won't get dumped by "GTA IV." While that's interesting, further delaying will send gamers into the Wii/360's camps. The only other reason Konami did it is because the PS3's install base isn't big enough yet to give them the kind of profits they need. Maybe they should consider the much bigger install base that the 360 has. Stay tuned!