An earlier rumour that the next Metal Gear game would be for the iPhone has been confirmed by Konami. The game will - fittingly for the iPhone - be called Metal Gear Solid Touch.

Returning to the universe of Metal Gear Solid 4 the game will consist of 8 stages with the promise that more will be added at a later stage. The game will also take full advantage of the iPhone’s touch screen, employing the zoom-in text method for controlling the sniping function. Bonus points earned through the game will also allow you to unlock stuff such as iPhone wallpapers. It’s slated for a worldwide release in spring 2009.

Konami also revealed three more of their franchises that will be making the jump to iPhone; Silent Hill, DDR and Frogger.

With Konami on board the iPhone has gained yet more respect as a valuable new gaming platform. It has also given me yet another reason to try and save up the money to buy one.

Before I forget, you will be able to download Metal Gear Solid sackboys for LittleBigPlanet from December 18th (the dates have since been removed from the Hong Kong Playstation site, so we’ll just have to wait and see if this date still stands). These should put your mind off the next game for at least a week or two, plus they’re incredibly awesome.