Metal Gear series to continue?

Hideo Kojima explained in a recent interview that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots closed the chapter on Solid Snake, as he aged over the last 10 years along with those who played from the original release. However, this is not to say that the hero cannot be replaced by a new snake to continue the Metal Gear world:

"The heroes in most animations and movies don't age. They are often immortal. Snake, on the other hand, has aged with the times. I made him this way because of the unique characteristics of the game medium. Snake is a fictional character, but at the same time he represents the players themselves because of the interactive nature of games.

This is very different from other types of entertainment mediums in which you just watch or listen. Therefore, Snake’s memories become the players own journey. In that sense, I believe that interactive games are somewhat similar to live shows that reflect the signs of the times. Therefore, this allowed me the opportunity to bring the character of Snake to life and make the story more realistic by showing signs of his aging.

One decade has passed since the release of Metal Gear Solid. I believe that fans have shared these past 10 years with Snake. The final story of Snake equals closure for these fans. Therefore, the Snake that has existed over the past 10 years could have only existed during this time.

I would like you to think that this good-bye to Snake is a good-bye to this era and represents closure to your old self. If there ever were to be a new Snake (might have a different name), he will be a Snake for a new era."

Whether this commentary was given to boost sales following MSG4's recent topple from the top of the charts, or if it's an indicator of things to come remains to be seen.