News [1]

The World Series of Video Games, Presented by Intel (WSVG) is gearing up for its first US event this season, to be held at Louisville’s Kentucky Exposition Center from June 21-24.  The event will feature more than $100,000 in cash and travel prizes, and follows a highly successful premiere in China that kicked off the second season. More than 10,000 fans attended the WSVG Louisville event during the competition’s debut season in 2006.

The second season of the WSVG includes global venues, a new circuit structure, $750,000 in cash prizes, and several titles never before offered in the world’s top gaming competitions. Intel returns as presenting sponsor for the second year in a row, providing leading edge multi-core processor technology for world class performance in the pinnacle of gaming competition.

As part of the competition, the WSVG will feature for the first time Blizzard Entertainment®’s “World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade®,” which will be played in a PVP Arena 3v3 format.  The massively multiplayer online role-playing game has a player base of more than 8.5 million subscribers worldwide.

The WSVG will also showcase “Quake 4™,” a mainstay of competitive gaming dating back to 1997. This competitive staple features lightning fast reflexes and amazing feats of skill as two players duel it out in head to head match ups.  “Counter-Strike 1.6” will also be featured in the PC competition.

On console, the WSVG will feature for the first time “EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3”, Electronic Arts’ critically acclaimed boxing game. “EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3” features amazingly detailed graphics that capture every emotion of the fight. The game delivers an unparalleled boxing experience and is one of the best-looking and playing sports game on the market.

Activision’s “Guitar Hero II™” rounds out the console lineup, offering players the chance to stand in the shoes of musical legends and shred with the best of them. The competition will feature live judges, who score competitors based on a combination of skill and performance.

In a video announcement posted on the official circuit website, www.thewsvg.com [4], Matthew Ringel, president of the World Series of Video Games, said, “We are incredibly excited about our 2007 lineup of game competitions. The World Series seeks to support those titles that are the most fun for the players in competition, enjoy widespread community support, and afford the most opportunities for a much wider audience to view them online and on television.” 

The second season circuit, scheduled to visit six cities throughout the year, began May 1, 2007 with a successful event in China, and will conclude at the world's largest gaming event in Sweden on Nov 29. The remaining stops for the second season are:

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  Louisville, KY (June 21-24). In conjunction with LANWAR, the MillionManLan, the second stop on the WSVG 2007 circuit will be in Louisville’s KentuckyExpositionCenter.

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  Dallas, TX (July 5 - 8). The Summer Championship returns to Dallas, continuing a great tradition. The Dallas date was specifically chosen so the WSVG could support Live Earth -- The Concert for a Climate in Crisis, a 24-hour concert series taking place on 07/07/07 in 7 cities around the world that will bring together more than 100 of the world's top musical acts. Live Earth is a project of Save Our Selves (SOS), a campaign designed to trigger a global movement to combat the climate crisis, which, in addition to Live Earth, will reach people in every corner of the globe through television, film, radio and the Internet.  The WSVG will support Live Earth and its estimated two billion viewers worldwide with content, promotion and fundraising efforts.

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  Los Angeles, CA (Oct. 18-21).  “Entertainment for All™ Expo” (E for All) will be the last and biggest U.S. event for the competitive circuit this season, before it heads to Europe for the final two events. 

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  Europe Major (October).  A fifth circuit event will be held in Europe in October, and will be announced soon.

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  Jonkoping, Sweden (Nov. 29 – Dec. 2). The World Series of Video Games Finals, Presented by Intel will be held at DreamHack Winter, the biggest gaming festival in the world. The WSVG has a broad-ranging partnership with DreamHack that will incorporate the search for a DreamHack team invited to compete on the circuit.

About The World Series of Video Games

The World Series of Video Games is the world’s premier video game tournament circuit, which recently completed its first season.  In 2006, the World Series of Video Games attracted over 90,000 attendees, produced 250 hours of broadband video, and 20 hours of programming on CBS, MTV, CSTV and GamePlay HD. Additional information is available at www.thewsvg.com [4].

About Intel Corporation

Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com [5]