Konami has been mercilessly teasing gamers with its upcoming Kojima Productions-related announcement. Following a two-page teaser ad taken out in last week's Famitsu, the publisher launched a teaser site proclaiming a big reveal was in store for May 18. When that date rolled around on Monday, however, gamers were greeted with a new countdown timer--which is set to expire at 6 p.m. PDT today--as well as a cryptic block character that could just as easily be an "S" as it could be a "5."

Now, despite Konami's efforts to keep gamers on edge, it appears as if the publisher's grand scheme has been trumped by an advertisement for the July issue of Famitsu PSP + PS3. According to the online database of 7&Y, better known as the Japanese wing of convenience-store chain 7-11, the cover story for the PlayStation-focused magazine will be a "new Metal Gear." The magazine is expected to go on sale May 30.

Konami had not responded to requests for comment on whether the Metal Gear title in question relates to its current teaser campaign. The listing also does not indicate whether the new title will be for Sony's flagship console or the PSP, which has seen such system-exclusive titles as Metal Gear Acid and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

Given the Sony-specific nature of the magazine, the listing also calls into question recent rumors that indicate Konami's impending announcement pertains to an Xbox 360 edition of the publisher's top-rated Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The game--titled Metal Gears Solid 4 + Oxide--was said to be Microsoft's show-stopper during its Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference, which takes place on June 1.

-----------------------------------------------------

So, let the speculation begin, what do you think it'll be? Only 9 days (or sooner, those things always leak) to find out