SOCOM beta keys Friday at 4pm!

THE TIME HAS COME: And gone. Congrats to everyone who got a key! See elsewhere for the aftermath.

Update, 4th September #2: Good news! We will be distributing the SOCOM: Confrontation beta keys from 4pm UK time tomorrow, Friday 5th September. As previously mentioned, the keys will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to registered Eurogamer users in the UK. Sony has also explained that despite reports in the US that keys work up to three times, you will only be able to use the keys we distribute on one PS3. See you at 4pm tomorrow!

Update, 4th September: Hello everyone! Glad to see there is so much anticipation. First of all, this post is the only official source of information on the keys, so please stop spamming our poor old boss Rupert! Second, as soon as we know when it's okay to distribute them, we will post an update here. Third, you will need to be a registered user (link to registration at the top of every page) to get access to a key. Fourth, keys will be on a first-come, first-served basis, because we don't want you to have to wait around to get hold of one. More soon! Thanks for your patience.

Update, 3rd September: Sony has been in touch to say that we can only give the codes to people in the UK, because other territories have arranged their own promotions. Obviously we would prefer to give them to anyone, but it's not up to us in this case. So that's bad news. On the plus side, that means there will be more in circulation elsewhere, so Eurogamer readers outside the UK should keep their eye on local news sources for more.

Original post: Those of you wondering whether Sony plans to run the SOCOM Confrontation multiplayer beta in Europe can stop fretting: it does, and Eurogamer will have 6,000 keys to give away when it begins.

As revealed on the PlayStation Blog overnight, the SOCOM beta will run for a full month in the US from 5th September to 5th October - and while Sony has yet to confirm exact details for Europe, we've been told it's okay to advise you about the keys. So hey, we've got keys! Woo!

SOCOM: Confrontation - as you of course know, because you're amazing - is a realistic-edged tactical third-person shooter from Slant Six with all sorts of cunning clan elements to support its online multiplayer premise.

The full game is due out in October in the US (and hopefully here), and you can check out our SOCOM: Confrontation gamepage for the latest screenshots, trailers and news.

We expect demand for the keys to be heavy, so keep an eye on Eurogamer over the next few days for an update on the giveaway.