E3 2009: Hideo Kojima Announces Metal Gear Solid: Rising For 360 and…?

Microsoft’s E3 press conference this afternoon was a sharp contrast from its performance last year; one might even say it was jam-packed.  However, the announcement that has everyone talking came from Hideo Kojima himself.

That’s right, the Metal Gear Solid franchise is coming to the XBOX 360 with a new title, Metal Gear Solid: Rising.  Featuring the first playable appearance of Raiden since Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, the game is an all-new iteration in the Metal Gear Solid franchise.  Konami’s PR department had this to say on the subject.

El Segundo, Calif. – June 1, 2009 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., announced today that Metal Gear Solid: Rising is currently in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft – the first Metal Gear Solid game to launch on the Xbox 360®. Raiden, one of the most popular characters in the Metal Gear Solid universe, will star in the all-new title from Hideo Kojima. Raiden first debuted in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system as a playable character and appeared as a non-playable cyborg in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Not exactly the most detailed announcement, and you’ll also notice that the press release is light on the word “exclusive”.  PS3 fans immediately rioted when they heard the news, but a little detective work reveals that this announcement is one that could make everyone happy.  After the show, Gametrailers’ Geoff Keighley contacted Microsoft’s John Schappert about the news, and Schappert was notably cagey on the subject, refusing to confirm exclusivity.  Gaming giants G4 got an even more direct response, as they prompted Schappert to state that he “never said [the game] was exclusive, only that the next Metal Gear is coming to XBOX 360″.

Now, that might be enough for some people, but others are even more persistent to deny the words of Microsoft’s own PR department.  A little digging on Kojima Productions’ GamesPress site reveals this listing, however…

Not only is Rising listed for XBOX 360, but also the Playstation 3 and even the PC.  These aren’t official announcements, but they’re as close as anyone has at the moment, so PS3 owners shouldn’t be too worried just yet.  However, perhaps more interesting are the listings for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on PSP and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for PS3 and 360.  It looks like Kojima’s got a few more tricks up his sleeves this E3.  Keep an eye on Kojima Productions’ official E3 site as the week goes on, and we’re likely to see quite a bit more news on what Hideo’s got coming.