Mark Androvich 15:24 (BST)
08/04/2008

The World Cyber Games has announced its selection of Chengdu, China as the host city for the WCG 2009 Grand Final.

A formal announcement will be made in China on April 23 when Chengdu city officials and World Cyber Games organisers join together for the official signing ceremony.

"As a state-level digital entertainment industry base, Chengdu aims to become the eSports training and tournament center in China," said 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."

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.

"Chengdu already has an incredible reputation for being one of the world's elite cities when it comes to hosting video game competitions," said Mr.Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, organisers 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."

National Championship registration is currently underway in the US and other countries for the WCG 2008 global tournament, which culminates in the Grand Final in Cologne, Germany in November.