While frantic fans of the Metal Gear Solid series are, of course, drooling feverishly at the prospect of getting their clammy paws on Guns of the Patriots, their collective enthusiasm, belief, and passion may have taken somewhat of a gut-punch during this year’s revamped E3 when series founder Hideo Kojima announced that MGS4 would be his last outing with the eponymous Solid Snake. However, that statement of finality may not ring true in the long term, according to a Next Gen interview.

More pointedly, although the E3 Media and Business Summit revealed that Kojima was reaching the end of his long-standing Metal Gear Solid tenure, Konami’s Anthony Crouts has intimated that the legendary creator’s influence and input is likely to always be associated with the ongoing exploits of Solid Snake.

“I’m sure he’s never going to let go of Metal Gear Solid – trust me,” outlined Crouts, a vice president of marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, during a phone interview with gaming site Next Gen. “In one capacity or another, he will always be involved in the Metal Gear franchise.”

It’s worth noting that Hideo Kojima has announced his Metal Gear separation before, having trumpeted his supposed departure in 2004 around the same time as Metal Gear Solid 3 hit release – clever marketing or inability to let go of his baby?

Regardless of whether Kojima does follow through and hang up his Metal Gear Solid boots following the eventual emergence of Guns of the Patriots, Konami has said that it will continue to seek out ways to extends the franchise in the future – to which we’d openly applaud while recommending a bottle of hair dye for Solid Snake in order to temper that wizened grey creeping in about the temples.