Empire of Sports

Thursday 19th March/... Empire of Sports, the first massively connected multisport 3D game, has partnered up with the International Federation of Bobsleigh and Tobogganing (FIBT) to host the first ever Virtual World Skeleton Championships online. The World Skeleton Championships will be held in Empire of Sports until 28th March 2009.

More than just a game, Empire of Sports is a sports platform designed to echo major real life sporting events from around the world; providing all sports fans with an extended space to live through and share their passion. Thanks to invaluable input from an ever-growing community, Empire of Sports just keeps getting better. Especially with the constant addition of new sports, clubs, sportsmen, competitions, events, and sports brands.

The Virtual World Skeleton Championships are available for all Empire of Sports players to enter – up until Saturday, 28th March 2009. The Virtual World Skeleton Championships are part of the ‘special events’ in Empire of Sports: the qualification phase is open to everybody but only the qualified players holding a Premium account will be able to continue on to the final stages and compete to win one of many Championship prizes.

Skeleton racing is an extreme winter sport in which individuals are required to make timed runs down fast, icy tracks in a gravity-powered sled. Skeleton racing requires the athlete to descend a bobsleigh track head first with their chin only millimetres from the ice below. Skeleton racing has been an international sport for over 100 years and has recently been introduced to the Winter Olympics creating a huge interest with athletes and mass media.

The Virtual World Skeleton Championships is not for the faint hearted! Only three of the bravest players will speed their way to the top of the leader board, where they will be rewarded with either a real-life bobsleigh ride on an official track or a skeleton training day – including travel and accommodation. Runners up will be rewarded with an array of virtual prizes including gold, booster items, ranking points, and other unique avatar-related items.

To ensure a fair competition, the Virtual World Skeleton Championships have been broken into a series of four competitions to welcome competitors of varying bobsleigh standards within the game.

• Amateur series (Level 1 to 15 in bob),

• Experienced series (Level 16 to 30 in bob),

• Pro series (Level 31 to 45 in bob)

• Elite series (Level 46 and above in bob).

Empire of Sports is currently still in the Prologue phase: this allows Empire of Sports to expand progressively, with the help and feedback of a vast community.

If you are interested in entering one of the Empire of Sports tournaments and fancy your chances of winning one of many exciting prizes, all you need to do is download the game client from www.empireofsports.com, register and start playing!

Link to a complete list of prizes for the Virtual World Skeleton championships

Link to more information about the competition

Link to how and when to register for the Virtual World Skeleton Championships

Ends.

About Empire of Sports

Empire of Sports is a new kind of massively multiplayer games. It combines the depth of role-play and the competitive dynamics of sports games in an innovative and very ambitious (including technically) persistent world, where players can meet in real time from all over the world and play sports together. Currently in its “Prologue” phase, Empire of Sports offers unrestricted access to its featured six sports: tennis, football, skiing, bobsleigh, basketball, and track & field. During this Prologue phase, players are encouraged to provide feedback to the development team to help fine tune the gameplay and business model. Premium accounts are already available for players willing to get extra services in Empire of Sports, like boosts for their avatars’ performances, access to special events, extra avatar slots… The Premium accounts are available from €3,49 through the account management section on www.empireofsports.com.

Empire of Sports is produced and operated by the joint venture founded by Infront Sports & Media and F4. F4 is developing the platform leveraging the expertise of its team in online gaming and the creation of persistent virtual worlds, while Infront Sports & Media is contributing its long-term relationships with top sports federations, clubs and athletes to the endeavour.

About F4

Founded in 2002 by a pair of mathematicians, keen on gaming, mangas and philosophy, F4 is an independent company based on the Champs Elysées, Paris. Specializing in the conception, development and the operation of virtual worlds, F4 is strongly connected to 3D computer games. In contrast to other games, persistent worlds are hugely advantageous as they permit ongoing real-time dialogue within the players’ community. F4 is committed to take this a step further and continuously evolve the functionalities, gameplay and business model of its games. F4 are continuously looking to maintain and exceed player expectations. Empire of Sports relies on F4’s high technical standards to achieve results other than that seen in many typical MMO genres, and a unique graphical identity, both rich and endearing.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Sarah Hartland / Anna Larke

Sarah.hartland@bhpr.co.uk / anna.larke@bhpr.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1462 456780

BHPR Troopers Yard, Bancroft, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1JW

Fax: +44 (0)1462 456781