Continued...

*UPDATE - Hi all, Boothby here. I am one of the staff writers of this site and wanted to clarify the source of this press release. It seems some issue has been raised as this information is not being reported on any of the Konami websites at this time. While I cannot explain that piece, I can say this news was sent to us by one of Konami's press contacts who probably wishes to remain nameless at this time (otherwise you guys would all be emailing him constantly). Should this press contact let me know he does not mind being named, I will do so.

Official Announcement from Konami:
In celebration of the one-year anniversary of METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today the first details of the METAL GEAR ONLINE 2009 Tournament. Entry will begin on June 23rd with play scheduled to kick off on June 26th. The tournament is open to players in the United States - but hurry, only a limited number of players can participate. The METAL GEAR SOLID 2009 Tournament will pit teams head-to-head in Team Deathmatch mode, with the winning squads advancing through the bracket until the final team is left standing. Players must own the SCENE Expansion pack to participate. Prizes will be announced at a later date.

METAL GEAR ONLINE is the online multi-player player experience that is included free in the retail version of METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS, developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Additionally, three expansion packs - GENE, MEME and SCENE - are available for purchase via METAL GEAR ONLINE's in-game shop and Konami's shop (https://my.konami.net/mgo/). In addition to traditional methods of payment for purchase, players can now use the PlayStation® Network Wallet prepay system which is now available as a form of payment.

To Register:

1) Log into MGO with the character you wish to enter into the Tournament (starting June 23rd) - but hurry, only a limited number of players can participate
2) Go to Lobby Select and choose Tournament Registration
3) On the Lobby Screen select one of the 4 tournament lobbies to register (i.e. US TOURNEY 1, US TOURNEY 2, etc.)
4) Select either Join Team (pick a team off the list to join), Create Team and Submit Entry (set up the team name and password), or Solo Entry (assigned to a random team)

Reserve your spot early, space is limited!