The release of Metal Gear Solid 4 has slipped to March 2008, according to several leading retailers.

The UK arm of Amazon has the PS3 killer-app's release date down as March 30th next year. Similarly, U.S. giant GameStop and its partner EB Games show a release of March 1st 2008, a date that dovetails nicely with a potential UK release a month later.

If correct, the new dates put the game's release a good six months after the previously-anticipated September 2007 release.

Of course, games retailers aren't always the most reliable source for release dates. SPOnG contacted Konami for confirmation of the dates and was met with a predictable “No comment.”

It may be that the dates are just place-holders. With two major retailers across two regions displaying the March dates, however, that seems unlikely. A date that's close to a year away also seems a tad distant for a place-holder.

Similarly, with all things still quiet on the Metal Gear front from Konami, a September release for MGS4 looks fairly unlikely.

With the Halo 3 beta nearly out and third-party console exclusives getting ever fewer and further between, Sony can't be best pleased about the slip.

For all things MGS4 check in on SPOnG's dedicated page.