The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine contains news on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots that may please Metal Gear Online fans. What was once pitched as two completely separate games—one single player, one multi-player—may actually come together in a single MGS4 package. We'd been told by series mainstay Hideo Kojima at Games Convention this year that only limited online play was planned for Metal Gear Solid 4 and that Metal Gear Online would still ship separately, but it seems that Kojima Productions and Konami may have changed their minds.

According to the magazine, MGO will support 16 players in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and Team Sneak. Curiously, though, the official mag writes that it's "expecting five maps in the Starter Pack that will provide the basic setup to get your MGS multiplayer fix moving."

Wait, Starter Pack? That doesn't clear it up at all. Do Kojima Productions simply have plans for downloadable content or is the MGO included in MGS4 simply a teaser product?

We're contacting Konami and Kojima Productions reps to learn more.

Confirmed: MGS4 and Metal Gear Online Join Together! [VGBlogger]

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