[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]
Exclusive Gears of War 3 Expo Match Showcasing Highly
Anticipated Multiplayer Maps on Friday, August 26; New Games
including League of Legends
NEW YORK— August 22 , 2011— Coming off
a record breaking competition in Anaheim, CA, top pro players,
aspiring amateurs, and thousands of video game fans will descend
upon Raleigh, N.C., this weekend as the 2011
Major League Gaming (MLG) Pro Circuit returns to
the Tar Heel state. From August 26-28, competitors from
around the globe will battle for more than $120,000 in prizes and
stipends playing some of the most popular video games of all time
including the record-setting Call of Duty®: Black Ops on the
PlayStation®3 (PS3™) entertainment system, Blizzard
Entertainment’s blockbuster real-time strategy game,
StarCraft
® II: Wings of Liberty
™ on PC, and the popular Halo: Reach on Xbox 360.
League of Legends, Riot Games’ debut title, will make its Pro
Circuit debut in Raleigh with four of the best teams in North
America - Epik Gaming, Curse Gaming, Team Solo Mid, and Counter
Logic Gaming - competing for a chance at $20,000 in prizes.
On Friday, August 26 at 8:15pm ET, fans will have the exclusive
opportunity to watch a Gears of War 3 expo match featuring
Th3 Nsan3z, the 2008 Gears of
War 1 Pro Circuit National Champions and 2009 Gears of War 2 Pro
Circuit National Champions, vs. Team Epic. Additionally, attendees
will have the opportunity to compete in a
Mortal Kombat PlayStation® 3 tournament in the Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation booths for a share
of a $7,000 prize pool.
Fans can go
online to purchase spectator
passes, watch the event in real-time and become MLG league members
to receive discounts on passes, as well as free 720p high quality,
ad-free LIVE video streaming. The LIVE broadcast will be
showcased via four streams - two streams for StarCraft
® II: Wings of Liberty
™, one for Call of Duty®: Black Ops and one
for Halo: Reach.
The Raleigh competition is the fourth of a challenging, six-city
US Pro Circuit tour that places the most talented players alongside
their toughest opponents. More than $1 million will be
awarded throughout the year making this the largest MLG season to
date. The recent, record-breaking Anaheim Pro Circuit (July
29-31) drew more than 20,000 spectators and delivered more than 35
million online stream views.
The Players and Games
Call of Duty®: Black Ops on PlayStation 3 system
Hundreds of players will battle for a 1
st place prize of $10,000 in gameplay modes Capture the
Flag, Domination and Search and Destroy. With two first place wins
in Dallas and Anaheim, Quantic LeveraGe will return to try to
reclaim their title against #2 seeded team, OpTic Gaming and
#3 seeded team, FeaR.
StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ on PC
Hundreds of players from around the world will compete in the
StarCraft II tournament, including Korean players Bomber and
Trickster, Code S players and teammates on StarTale. Both
will make the trip to Raleigh through MLG’s exchange program
with
GOMTV's Global StarCraft II League (GSL), along
with Code S players Nada and Coca. Other players to watch
include EvilGeniuses’ Idra and Dignitas’ Naniwa.
Halo: Reach on Xbox 360
Hundreds of Halo: Reach players will compete during the
three-day, double-elimination tournament for the 1
st place prize of $20,000. Coming off 1
st place domination in Columbus and Anaheim, Instinct
featuring Ogre 2, iGotUrPistola, Lunchbox, Roy will fight to
continue their winning streak going up against Dallas winners and
Anaheim 2
nd place finishers Status Quo, and other top seeded
teams Dynasty, Warriors and Str8 Rippin.
League of Legends, Riot Games
League of Legends will make its debut with teams Epik Gaming,
Curse Gaming, Team Solo Mid, and Counter Logic Gaming competing for
a chance at $20,000 in prizes. Matches will be streamed LIVE
online and fans can watch Pool Play on Saturday,
August 27 from 10:00am – 8:00pm ET and the Championship
Finals on Sunday, August 28 from 10:00am – 1:45pm ET.
Gears of War 3, Epic Games
For the first time, Epic Games will showcase the upcoming Gears
of War 3 in an expo match featuring highly anticipated multiplayer
maps Thrashball and Trenches. On Friday, August 26 at 8:15pm ET,
Th3 Nsan3z, the 2008 Gears of
War 1 Pro Circuit National Champions and 2009 Gears of War 2 Pro
Circuit National Champions, go up against Team Epic, including
Donald White, Alex Connor, Richard Wilt, and Jonathan Taylor. Three
full games will be commentated by Chris Puckett (MLG), Quinn
DelHoyo (Epic Games) and Kendall ‘Arctic’ Smith, Epic
Games consultant and Captain of GoW team Amayzn. Gears of War 3
launches worldwide on Sept. 20, 2011. The match will be streamed
LIVE on the Halo: Reach stream
online.
Mortal Kombat PlayStation®3 Tournament,
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
In addition to the main stage titles, attendees will have the
opportunity to participate in a
Mortal Kombat PlayStation® 3 tournament in the Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation booths for a share
of a $7,000 prize pool. The eight players with the longest winning
streaks during the open competition held on-site on Friday, August
26 from 3:00 – 10:00pm ET and Saturday, August 27 from
11:00am – 9:00pm ET, along with the top eight players from an
online qualifier, will advance to compete in a single elimination
bracket tournament beginning Sunday, August 28 at 12:00pm ET on the
MLG booth stage. For eligibility, entry and prize information, see
complete rules
online.
The Experience
Thousands of spectators will view all of the action via three
giant main stages with huge video screens and live commentating.
Attendees can visit an array of booths featuring meet and greets
with the Pros, the latest products from MLG partners, pre-release
access to games and more. Booth highlights include:
·
MLG Booth: Visit the MLG booth for an opportunity
to meet MLG pro players and personalities, compete in the Black Ops
FFA to win exclusive prizes, and participate in the MLG booth
scavenger hunt to win cool prizes.
·
Sony Ericsson, official mobile handset of MLG:
Demo the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY onsite and experience new
titles like Minecraft and N.O.V.A 2 for the first time at the Sony
Ericsson booth. Compete in mobile gaming competitions for a chance
to win great prizes like your very own Xperia™ PLAY.
·
Dr Pepper, official soft drink of MLG: Stop
by for play-a-Pro sessions, signings, Text-to-Win promotions with
an array of prizing, and a chance to meet the
new Dr Pepper Girls.
·
BIC® Flex4® Razors, official razor of MLG:
Play Halo: Reach in the BIC® Flex4® Live FFA (free-for-all
or individual) competition. One winner will be flown to the
National Championships to compete for $4,000. Plus, participate in
a text-2-win promotion for a chance to win cool gaming gear like an
ASTRO A40 Audio System.
·
PlayStation®, official partner of MLG: Play
Resistance® 3 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception™
before you can buy it at the PlayStation Compound. Experience the
PlayStation® Move Sharp Shooter attachment, stereoscopic 3D
gaming and compete with friends for amazing prizes.
·
STRIDE, official gum of MLG: Participate in
unique challenges throughout the weekend and receive Pro Player
autographs.
·
Alienware, the official desktop of MLG:
Experience the most powerful desktops available at Alienware gaming
stations throughout the venue.
·
ASTRO, the official headset of MLG: Check out and
buy the latest gear - the A40 2011 and A30 pro gaming headsets.
·
Parrot AR.Drone, official Augmented Reality Gaming Toy of
MLG: Race these flying quadricopters in an obstacle course
against MLG pro players for a chance to win a FREE AR.Drone, test
flight skills in the AR.Drone cage, and grab free swag all
weekend.
·
Army National Guard: Meet Tim
Kennedy—professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and
National Guard Special Forces Sergeant, test strength in a push-up
competition and participate in a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
competition with a chance to win great prizes. Additionally,
visitors can see themselves in a National Guard uniform and view a
pre-release version of a brand new augmented reality helicopter
rescue game.
·
Mad Catz: For the first time, check out the
soon to be released MLG controller and MLG fight stick for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3.
·
CALIBUR 11: Try out and purchase the
MLG Vault for Xbox360 –an external case for Xbox 360 slim
hardware.
Army National Guard and MLG are also offering a military
discount. Spectators can show a valid military ID to receive a
reduced rate for passes. Additionally, in advance of the event,
Raleigh area Play N Trade stores are offering free spectator passes
with the purchase of NOS®, the official energy drink of
MLG.
Upcoming Pro Circuit Stops
Following the Raleigh competition, the 2011 Pro Circuit
continues in Orlando, FL (October 14-16) and culminates with
the national championship in Providence, RI, this fall (November
18-20).
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING
Founded in 2002, Major League Gaming (MLG) is the dominant media
property exclusively targeting the approximately 40 million
consumers in North America who have a passion for playing video
games as a competitive social activity. The company exclusively
represents the best professional gamers and gives millions of
aspiring gamers around the world an opportunity to compete, improve
their skills, and socialize through a thriving online competitive
community and live Pro Circuit competitions. For more information:
www.majorleaguegaming.com.
ABOUT BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Best known for blockbuster hits including
World of Warcraft® and the
Warcraft®,
StarCraft®, and
Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (
www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of
entertainment software renowned for creating some of the
industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard
Entertainment’s track record includes thirteen #1-selling
games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s
online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in
the world, with millions of active players.
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner
Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher,
developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for
the interactive space across all current and future platforms,
including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal
and third party game titles.
For more information:
Katie Goldberg, PR for Major League Gaming
646-380-2933 direct
[email protected]
Call of Duty and Activision are registered trademarks of
Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names
are the properties of their respective owners.
Activision Publishing, Inc. is not a sponsor of this
Contest. Activision’s name and logo, and/or the
“Call of Duty: Black Ops” name, logo, and/or materials
are used for purposes of promotion and/or prize description only
and such use is not intended to suggest or imply Activision’s
approval, sponsorship or endorsement of this Contest.
Mortal Kombat, the dragon logo, NetherRealm Studios, NetherRealm
logo and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and
© Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WB GAMES LOGO, WBIE
LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment
Inc. (s11).
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