Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, The World's Premiere Global e-Sports Tournament And Festival Comes Stateside For The Third Time

World Cyber Games (WCG), the organizer of the premier international video game competition and festival, today announced Los Angeles, CA as the WCG 2010 Grand Final host city. As the official host city for the WCG 2010 Grand Final, elite gamers from around the world will flock to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year to compete for the title of world's best gamer.

In bringing the Grand Final to the United States for the third time, the WCG will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in the world's largest video game market. L.A. is one of the major hubs for the video game industry as it is home to some of the largest developers and studios in the world and the home to some of the most influential gaming media. A hit WCG Ultimate Gamer, a reality TV program (NBCU Network) was also shot on location in Los Angeles. This show takes a dozen top-notch video game players, drops them into an L.A. loft where they live together and compete for the title of ''Best All-Around Gamer,'' along with other prizes like $100,000 cash, and the ''Ultimate Samsung Electronics package.''

''This event will bring an economic impact of millions of dollars to the city of Los Angeles,'' said Michael Krouse, senior vice president of sales and client services for LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. ''L.A. is the perfect destination for this event and we look forward to welcoming the international delegates.''

''After taking into careful consideration the many factors involved with selecting the host city, the World Cyber Games Committee came to a clear decision with Los Angeles,'' said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of World Cyber Games, Inc., organizer of the World Cyber Games. ''San Francisco and Seattle were extremely successful events and we look forward to returning to the United States for our 10-year anniversary.''

''Samsung Electronics has been the World Wide partner of World Cyber Games since its inception 10 years ago and we are thrilled to continue playing an integral role in supporting its growth and popularity,'' said David Steel, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Samsung Electronics America Inc. ''Hosting the games in Los Angeles should be an exciting opportunity for the gaming community and our North American team as we continue to provide the latest technology for the competitions.''

  Counter-Strike 1.6 and Guitar Hero®: World Tour Headline List of Diverse PC and Xbox 360 Titles That Will Satisfy Every Type of Gamer

    Remaining Titles To Be Announced This March

NEW YORK, NY, February 5, 2009 -- World Cyber Games (WCG / www.wcg.com), the premier international video game competition, has announced the first five Official Game Titles for the WCG 2009 season. The lineup includes Counter-Strike™ 1.6 (PC), Starcraft®: Brood War™ (PC), WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne™ (PC), and Guitar Hero®: World Tour (Xbox 360), and Virtua Fighter® 5 (Xbox 360).

All five games have been a staple at past WCG competitions. Counter-Strike 1.6™ and Starcraft®: Brood War™ have been Official Tournament Games since 2001 while WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne™ has been part of the WCG since 2003. Guitar Hero®, which marked WCG's first foray into music games, and Virtua Fighter® 5 Online will be in their second consecutive year as Official Game Titles.

''As interest in WCG continues to grow around the world, we have become much more discerning in selecting the official games for this year,'' said Hyeong Seok Kim, president and CEO of World Cyber Games, Inc., organizer of WCG. ''This year we decided to unveil the games in two separate announcements to pique the interest and anticipation for the official game lineup. These first five titles constitute the best and most popular games in a wide variety of genres including real-time strategy, first-person shooter, fighting, and music. In March, fans can look forward to another group of elite titles that will certainly satisfy every type of gamer around the world.''

National team selection, including TEAM USA, which won the world championship in 2007 and placed second last year, will begin in March through online and offline preliminaries.

Please note the New Zealand World Cyber Games Qualifying Titles have not been decided.
 
Please click here to discuss on our forums

The series features top game titles from various studios and includes physical challenges that bring video games to life, as well as elimination challenges in an arena before hundreds of spectators. This exciting new format features a diverse group of contestants who embark on an intense and emotional journey, all hoping to win a prize package that includes $100,000 and trips to future World Cyber Games (WCG) events across the globe.

''With two out of every three American households playing videogames, it's clear that this mainstream phenomenon is a perfect arena for the Channel's agenda of broadening the brand while celebrating imagination,'' said Dave Howe, SCI FI Channel President. ''The colorful and eclectic group of men and women competitors will simultaneously fit and completely shake up the ultimate gamer stereotype. We are thrilled to be partnering with WCG and Samsung for this fun and engaging show.''

''Since 2000, the WCG has been at the forefront of e-sports and as we've grown to 78 countries represented and 1.5 million participants, we've seen that passion for gaming knows no geographic or demographic boundaries,'' said H.S. Kim, WCG President. ''Go to any WCG event or one of the many millions of gaming households across the globe and you'll see the love and excitement that people share with their favorite titles. As gaming continues to be the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry, we are delighted that we can continue to lead this revolution and with SCI FI, Granada and Samsung as partners, bring this show to viewers. The world has never seen a gaming-related TV series like GameQuest and we are confident that it will appeal to all levels of gamers and even non-gamers.''

In WCG GameQuest, contestants will be first tested in real life challenges based on a variety of games and then must master the actual video games themselves. Ultimately, contestants will be forced to rely on real world and virtual world skills like attentiveness, coordination, and endurance in order to avoid elimination. But similar to video gaming where the person with the most skills doesn't always come out on top – for the winner of GameQuest, it may all come down to pure strategy and knowledge of other opponents' weaknesses in order to outlast the competition.

Samsung Electronics, the official worldwide partner for the World Cyber Games, is also the official series production partner.

''As a company that believes in the power of passion and imagination, we know that there is no place where this is more evident than in the WCG,'' said Gregory Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics. ''Samsung televisions, monitors, mobile devices and notebooks are fantastic platforms for video games and we're pleased to extend our commitment to the WCG and partner with SCI FI and Granada to make this one-of-a-kind show a reality.''

''GameQuest will showcase the latest in consumer electronics and video games. Being a part of this ground-breaking series proves Samsung's commitment to creating products this technology-savvy gamer audience craves. Samsung is focused on understanding what our consumers want, and then delivering it to them with leading technology and design to enhance their digital experience,'' said Steven Cook, SVP and Chief Strategic Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics America. ''We are confident that GameQuest will set an industry precedent for gaming reality competition and we look forward to seeing what the season has in store.''

WCG GameQuest is a format created by Michael Agbabian and Dwight D. Smith (''Phenomenon'', ''Gameshow Marathon'' and ''Last Comic Standing'') who will executive produce.

''This deal is very exciting on several levels,'' said Paul Buccieri, President and CEO, Granada America. ''We are delighted to partner with not only one but two top brands in the WCG and Samsung. When the WCG and Samsung approached us with the opportunity, we were definitely up for the challenge. Michael and Dwight crafted an imaginative and compelling format that combines the enormous popularity of video gaming with the real drama of competition. Producing this as our first project for SCI FI is especially gratifying.''

''We are thrilled to be the broadcast partner for such a unique and innovative programming deal which extends our commitment to reality programming,'' said Chris Czarkowski, SCI FI's VP, Sales. ''Electronics and gaming are both categories that have mass appeal for our core SCI FI consumer, making the WCG and Samsung the perfect brands to produce this kind of cutting edge gaming show.''

Ivan Garel-Jones, Senior Vice President, Business Affairs, Granada America, brokered the deal with the WCG and Samsung Electronics. The WCG and Samsung brokered the deal with SCI FI. 

SCI FI Channel has greenlit to production WCG GameQuest (working title), an 8-episode elimination-style reality competition, pitting 12 contestants against each other in a series of video game challenges in order to find the ''Best All-Around Gamer'' in the United States. Shot on location in Los Angeles, GameQuest is slated to premiere on SCI FI in the first quarter of 2009.

The timetable for the eblacks for the Grand Final has been announced and is as follows in New Zealand time and dates

For the full listings of the timetable in German Date/Time please click here and to see the broadcast schedule please click here

To discuss this pleased click here

The group draws for the Grand Final took place today and below are the groups the New Zealand eblacks are placed in.

1st place winners in each official game will receive Samsung Notebook PC (Samsung R710-Aura P8600 Deslin) in addition to cash prize

4th - 8 place will receive product estimated value of US$400

Cheer on the eblacks and be in to win prizes!!

Its simple log on to the World Cyber Games and post your message, the country with the highest percentage will win prizes..

Get behind New Zealand eSports and support the eblacks!

• There is no limit to the amount of cheers that you can write. However, only 1 cheer per day per person will be counted for the event.
• More cheers increase the odds of winning.
• Cheers that are insulting or otherwise inappropriate may be removed without prior notice at the webmaster's discretion.
• Multiple cheers written to abuse the system may be removed without prior notice at the webmaster's discretion.
• Please check your address information for prize shipments.

The live draw videos are live and here are the groups for New Zealand for the Asian Championship

DOTA – All Stars - Group D
India
New Zealand
Thailand

Fifa08 - Group C
New Zealand
Philippines
China

Need for Speed: Pro Street - Group C
Singapore
New Zealand
Australia

Virtua Fighter 5 - Group C
Hong Kong
New Zealand
Vietnam

Guitar Hero III - Group B
New Zealand
India
Taiwan
Korea

An announcement from the WCG committee to announce signups for tournament referees at the WCG 2008 Grand Final, to be held from Nov 5th to Nov 9th (5 days) at Kolnmesse 8 Hall, Cologne, Germany. We are accepting signups for the 14 WCG 2008 official game titles, and the registration will close on August 13, 2008. (Selected referees will be contacted by the tournament administrator.) 

You must have good working knowledge of the game and speak English fluently to apply. Referees that are selected for the Grand Final will be provided with daily expenses, hotel stay, and meal. You can read further details on the referee sign up page at the link below. Any costs arising from travelling from your location to the Grand Final venue is your responsibility.

If you would like to sign up to be a WCG Grand Final referee, please click here.

Benefits
- Title of WCG referee at WCG preliminary or grand final
- Receive referee certification of WCG official games
- Opportunity to referee future WCG tournaments
- Provide accommodations and meals during the grand final period
- Provide daily expenses during the grand final period

Requirements
- Someone who has experience as a referee or a player in pertinent game
- Someone who has extensive knowledge in pertinent game
- Someone who has healthy body and mind as WCG referee
- Someone who has ability to judge
- Someone who can communicate in foreign language (English is a must.)

Registration Period
 ~ August 13th, 2008

The Official Games for this year's Asian Championship are out, and they are:

Historic Ancient Chinese City to Host World’s Biggest International Video Game Competition’s Tournament Final

Wiesbaden, Germany April 8, 2008 – The World Cyber Games (WCG) today announced Chengdu, China as the WCG 2009 Grand Final host city for the world’s largest and most prestigious video game tournament and festival. The formal announcement will be made in China on April 23rd when Chengdu city officials and World Cyber Games officials join together for the official signing ceremony in Chengdu, China. 

The World Cyber Games Committee considers numerous factors when selecting each year’s host city, including geography, facilities, infrastructure and marketing plans. For 2009, Chengdu received the overall highest score due to the extensive support offered by local government, accessibility of the Grand Final venue, and high network potential of broadcasters.

“As a state-level digital entertainment industry base, Chengdu aims to become the eSports training and tournament center in China,” said Mr. Ge Honglin, Mayor of Chengdu. “By hosting the World Cyber Games Grand Final, the biggest and most celebrated eSports and gaming festival in the world, we believe we are now well on our way to achieving this goal.”

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province in China, is a city rich in history, dating back more than 2,300 years. Chengdu is a cultural center for science and technology, commerce and finance, as well as a hub for transportation and communication in southwest China. The city has already hosted a number of major eSport competitions and is the first place in China to establish ratings for players, referees and coaches. Chengdu is also the first Chinese city to train cyber gaming referees and mandate gaming venue standards.

“Chengdu already has an incredible reputation for being one of the world’s elite cities when it comes to hosting video game competitions,” said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, organizers of the World Cyber Games. “We have no doubt that they will be a wonderful and exciting host city that provides World Cyber Games players and fans with a unique and amazing setting for the premiere event and competition.”

Founded in 2000, the pioneering WCG continues today under the slogan “Beyond the Game.” Over the years, it has steadily grown to become the world’s largest and most prestigious video game festival and tournament, with an aim to be a total digital entertainment festival for gamers and the general public.

The 2007 World Cyber Games experienced record numbers of gamers and participating countries, with more than 700 players and 70 countries competing in Seattle, USA. The WCG 2008 global tournament culminates with the World Cyber Games 2008 Grand Final, Nov. 5 – 9, in Cologne, Germany..

Samsung Electronics is the worldwide premier partner for the World Cyber Games. Other global partners include Microsoft Xbox 360 and Games For Windows, Samsung Monitor(SyncMaster), Philips amBX, Procurve Networking by HP, Dust-Off and several others.

World Cyber Games (WCG), the premier international video game competition, announces the largest line up of official tournament games in its history. The WCG global tournament is bigger and better than ever for 2008, with an epic lineup of PC and Xbox 360 titles, including the debuts of Halo® 3 and Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, along with the return of tournament favorites including Starcraft®: Brood War™, WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne™ and more. Plus another first for the WCG in 2008 is the introduction of an official mobile title, Asphalt 3: Street Rules.

“It is with great honor that the WCG announces the most powerful, broad-reaching and distinguished lineup of tournament games in the history of eSports,” said Hyoung-Seok Kim, president and CEO, International Cyber Marketing, organizers of the WCG.

Following the successful 2007 partnership between the WCG and MTV Networks’ SPIKE TV that was seen by more than 12 million viewers; the WCG 2008 Official Titles were introduced on SPIKE TV’s signature video game program, “GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley.” The largest field ever, the WCG list includes 14 team and individual titles to be played by gamers in more than 70countries worldwide on Windows PC, Xbox 360 and cellular phone for cash, prizes and the chance to represent their respective country at the WCG 2008 Grand Final this November in Cologne, Germany:

Official WCG 2008 PC Games:
• Half-Life®: Counter-Strike™ 1.6 (5 v. 5 Team FPS )
• Starcraft®: Brood War™: (1 v. 1 RTS)
• WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne™ (1 v. 1 RTS)
• Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath™ (1 v. 1 RTS)
• Age of Empires® III: The Asian Dynasties (1 v. 1 RTS)
• FIFA Soccer 08 (1 v. 1 Sports)
• Need For Speed™ ProStreet (Xbox 360 in US & Canada) (1 v. 1 Racing)
• Carom3D (1 v. 1 Casual)
• Red Stone (4 v. 4 Team MMORPG)

Official WCG 2008 Xbox 360 Games:
• Halo® 3 (4 v. 4 Team FPS)
• Project Gotham Racing® 4 (1 v. 1 Racing)
• Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock (1 v. 1 Music)
• Virtua Fighter® 5 (1 v. 1 Fighting)

Official WCG 2008 Mobile Game:
• Asphalt 3: Street Rules (1 v. 1 Racing)