Konami has confirmed the release date for long awaited Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on the PS3.

The game due out on 12 June 2008 will be simultaneously launched in the US, Europe and Asia on the same day.

Only available on the PS3, the publishers will also be one of the first to release the title on Blu-ray. Gamers will get both Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Online – a dedicated online title that uses locations and gameplay elements from Guns of the Patriots in the box.

According to the games publisher, MGS4 will be the last in the series that has spanned 21 years, and it is promising that all the major characters will make an appearance and all the remaining mysteries being unveiled.

Japanese gamers will get a special treat. Konami will be launching three different versions; a Standard Version that includes METAL GEAR Online Starter Pack, a Special Edition pack that includes a Blu-ray Disc of bonus features in addition to the everything included in the Standard Version, and a "Premium Pack which includes a PS3 console in addition to the Special Edition.

Concluding Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid saga, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is set in a battle-scarred future where huge conglomerates fight for supremacy using armies of hand-picked mercenaries. This devastated world is seen through the battle-weary eyes of an older Solid Snake who has been charged with infiltrating a number of key locations across the globe, including the Middle East and South America. As such, the epic end to Snake’s story offers ground-breaking combat elements, a refined control system that offers unprecedented control over the aged hero, and the tying up of key plot lines and loose ends.