When is everyone going to stop debating whether this is exclusive or not (it is likely a timed exclusive if Sony can't sell more consoles) and focus on the real important thing here: SALES.

Metal Gear Solid (Best game of its gen):
100 million+ consoles sold
MGS Sold: 5.59 million

Metal Gear Solid 2 (Best 2nd Gen PS2 game):
120 million+ consoles sold
MGS2 Sold: 5.52 million

Metal Gear Solid 3 (Best MGS Game Ever??):
120 million+ consoles sold
MGS3 Sold: 3.96 million
MGS3:Subsistence Sold: 150k

Can anyone explain on what basis they expect this game to sell more than 6 million copies on PS3 with reduced Sony Market share, and a clearly waning Metal Gear Audience?

well, I am a man of honesty and I can admit when I'm wrong. And, at least for the forseable future, I was wrong. Just out now, kotaku is going right back on their previous article, due to an official announcement from SONY, and saying that MGS4 WILL, at least at release and for, we would imagine, some time afterwards- going to be a PS3 exclusive.

With that said, I would still be very surprised if, perhaps a year after release the game isn't re-released on the 360 and, moreover, even with its exclusivity, 500 seems like a logical upper cap given the popularity of the PS3 hardware.

In the long run I feel confident that I'll prove correct. But for now, I was wrong. Hell of a day for this stock though - from -17% to +12%

ok, well I'm not sure if that was intended to debunk or weaken my position, but regardless, I think it actually enhances it. No more spin-offs, no more main games. The people, many people, who own 360's and not PS3's will want it all the more desperately and the transition will only make more sense.

Furthermore, if it is the true, last MGS game, then the Kotaku article can ONLy be understood to be referring to MGS4, further strengthening my position. This stock, likely, will drop a hundred points from where it is before it releases.

I think it's more than obvious at this point that the franchise as a whole will inevitably find it's way onto the xbox. There's too much money to be made, and frankly that's absolutely all that matters.

As for the article, I think it's obviously referring to MGS4, or at least that is what Kotaku is inferring from his comments.

And either way, it really does make all the sense in the world for the game to move away from PS3 exclusivity - if not at release then definitely later on. Technically speaking it may utilize the PS3's ultimate power or whatever, but it's still a first generation game and converting it with this or that graphical tweak to the xbox wouldn't be hard enough to preclude Konami from doing just that and making x-amount of millions of dollars - millions that they are not assured on the PS3.

It just seems like a fools errand to harp on about this game being a long-term exclusive when it really doesn't make much sense.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/10/konami-exec-says-metal-gear-solid-may-go-to-other-consoles/


Ok, so Konami has just come out and said that MGS will more than likely NOT be a PS3 exclusive, which is an inherent blow to both this game in particular and to another degree the system as a whole.

"Konami executive Kazumi Kitaue, head of Konami North America and European ops, dropped a bombshell today saying that Metal Gear Solid 4 may move to other consoles in an attempt to recoup development costs. He also said the PS3 price drop may not turn the ship around."