XboxFamily today reports that they have received word directly from a Konami distribution representative that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Xbox 360 has been in development since early last year, with a release slated for 12-14 months after the PlayStation 3 version of the highly anticipated game. XboxFamily's Freeze felt so confident in his sources that he emailed Microsoft's John Porcaro for verification, receiving back a rather lengthy reply that touches on the more salient points of posting rumors before eventually devolving into a standard "no comment."

This of course is probably one of the most highly debated rumors of the past year, now spilling over into 2008, and while we'd generally take it with a grain of salt, we've heard rumblings over the past few months that lend support to the notion that Solid Snake's epic could eventually see the light of day on the 360.

The main problem is that our sources are somewhat conflicted. One indicates that Konami has returned money paid to it by Sony to secure the title's exclusivity on the PlayStation 3, while other sources tell us that money never actually changed hands, and that the exclusive nature of the title was merely a matter of support for the relationship the two companies share.

At this point of course there really isn't enough information to jump to a solid conclusion, but if I were a magic 8 ball right now, I wouldn't have hands to type with and you wouldn't be reading any of this. I'd just sit quietly on my desk in front of my keyboard with a little 'Signs Point To Yes' floating in and out of view on top of my head.

Feel free to maul each other in the comments section, and Happy New Year! I'm going back to bed.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Coming to Xbox 360 [XboxFamily]

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