Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain release date revealed

UPDATE 04/03/2015: Konami has confirmed a 1st September 2015 release date for Metal Gear Solid 5 on console, but the PC version launches later. Head to our latest Metal Gear Solid 5 news story for more.

ORIGINAL STORY 03/03/2015: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain launches worldwide on 1st September 2015, it's been revealed.

Publisher Konami had planned an official announcement tomorrow (there's even a countdown on the Metal Gear Solid website pointing to 2pm UK time on 4th March). But an eagle-eyed NeoGAF user found a couple of video interviews with series creator Hideo Kojima on website IGN's server, and they reveal the release date. (They've now been pulled.)

In the video Kojima stresses Metal Gear Solid 5 will be his final Metal Gear Solid. But then he always says that, doesn't he?

"I always say this will be my last Metal Gear, but the games in the series that I've personally produced - Metal on MSX, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, 3, 4 and Peace Walker - and now Metal Gear Solid 5 constitute a single Metal Gear saga," Kojima says.

"With Metal Gear Solid 5 I'm finally closing the loop on that saga. In that sense, this will be the final Metal Gear Solid. To me, this is the last Metal Gear."