The official announcement is brief and doesn’t go into much detail as of why was the game pulled back. Konami only mentions that the move was needed “in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.”
Previously, the game was supposed to be released during “this winter”. Still, the vague data was never considered as being set during 2007, but most likely in early 2008.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of the most expected games set to arrive as exclusives on PlayStation 3. At present time, the only other game to have a similar status is Final Fantasy XIII.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be the first game in the series to be released in Japan, North America and Europe almost simultaneously. Previous version featured serious gaps between releases.