Solid Snake continues to rake in the big bucks for publisher and developer Konami. In its latest earnings report published today, the company recorded net income figures of 17.8 billion, up 17.3 percent from the previous fiscal year.

Furthermore, the report unsurprisingly revealed that Metal Gear Solid 4 was a substantial revenue generator for the company. Despite being limited to one format, it managed to shift an impressive 4.5 million copies throughout 2008. Current-generation exclusives, while a risky business in today’s market without backing from a first party, can still be profitable.

In a closing statement, Konami did however warn that due to the slowing economy and worldwide decline in consumer spending, it is staying conservative on its fiscal 2009 outlook. The company is forecasting a net income of 18.5 billion for 2009.

An interesting statistic: taking the current PS3 install base into account, which is hovering around 20 million, at least 1 in every 5 PS3 owners have a copy of MGS4.

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Read more: Konami Posts Strong Q1, Q2 Earnings,  Midway Stock Plummets,  Konami Shares Fall Over MGS 4 Delay,  PSP Hardware Sales Down 50 Percent In Q2 2010, PS3 Up Over 2009,  THQ Confirms Layoffs, Red Faction: Guerilla Delayed