Halo 3 tournament

25 September 2008: Europe’s top gamers are invited to play the renowned Halo 3 in an elite free-for-all challenge. Players will battle it out for the title of Europe’s #1 in this fast-paced tournament. But there is more than just pride at stake: players are competing for a range of great prizes from networking hardware manufacturer ZyXEL, who are sponsoring the tournament organised by the UK’s top professional gaming outfit, Team Dignitas. The competition is due to start on 4th October 2008 and will be the first Xbox tournament Team Dignitas has ever held.

The tournament will involve 128 players with each round being picked at random. The rules are simple but not for the faint-hearted. To create the best competitive settings there will be 8 competitors per-room, with 15-minute time limits, and unlimited kill points. Speed will be set at 110%, shield charge at 90% and battle rifle damage starting at 110%, with the hype v3.0 map being used all the way through the tournament. Due to the capability of Halo 3, players can record all matches and have their scores uploaded onto the Halo website for every round. It will also be great practice for ‘XL6’s’ free-for-all tournament scheduled for later this year.

James Harris, Senior Product Manager at ZyXEL says, “We are excited to be the headline sponsor of Team Dignitas’ first Xbox tournament. When gaming online, the stability and speed of the Internet connection can mean a difference in points or whether a player stays in the game. To help players ’stay connected to the action’, the winner of this tournament will benefit from the same professional, high-speed digital networking systems that Team Dignitas’ professionals use – enabling them to test their skills with gamers across the globe”

Marcus Rumsey, Team Dignitas 360 Squad Leader comments, “Team Dignitas is well known for supporting the gaming community. We are proud to be working with ZyXEL to hold this inaugural Halo 3 FFA tournament on Xbox 360. The UK Xbox 360 scene is huge. It will gladly welcome the tournament and of course the fantastic products on offer for the victor. The tournament winner is going to need to be a special player, and we look forward to seeing who can lead the pack.”

Contestants can enter by signing up on the Team Dignitas website and clicking a link to enter the tournament. A sign up thread will also appear on the ZyXEL website with a section for fixtures and results on the players’ forums. Players will be given full instructions about their timings for play through the Team Dignitas website. If there are any no-shows on that date, the missing player will forfeit their round.

The tournament victor will win an end-to-end digital home networking kit from ZyXEL. The kit will consist of:

• ZyXEL HomePlug Super G+ Wireless ADSL Router - twice the speed of standard wireless, share your internet connection across multiple PC’s, laptops and games consoles. The integrated HomePlug provides fast and reliable web browsing, online gaming and video streaming when used with another compatible HomePlug device.

• ZyXEL HomePlug Twin Pack AV 200Mbps Adapter – allows your home to be completely networked using your existing plug sockets. Perfect for online gaming with no drop-out or lag. Also ideal for high definition video and audio streaming and Internet connectivity.

• ZyXEL 2 Bay Multimedia Network Attached Storage Server – lets you to store, backup and stream content around your home.

• ZyXEL Digital Media Streamer – Stream movies, photographs and music files stored on your PC, Apple MAC or storage device to your television.

The event is open to anyone over the age of 16. So, if you think you have what it takes, register online, choose your weapons and prepare to do battle across Europe!

Visit www.team-dignitas.org to sign up to the most challenging Halo 3 competition ever!

Notes Editors

About ZyXEL Communications UK Ltd

ZyXEL Communications UK Ltd is the UK subsidiary of a market leading end-to-end designer and manufacturer of xDSL, Security, VoIP, IP DSLAMS, Wireless, PowerLine HomePlug, routing and IP switching equipment. The company offers comprehensive technical support and customer service to the ISP, Telco, IT distribution channel through to businesses and consumers.

ZyXEL was founded in 1989 as a modem developer with the mission to create Internet access solutions that accelerate information exchange.

ZyXEL is one of the world's leading broadband access solutions specialists. With headquarters located in Taiwan, ZyXEL maintains offices in the United States, Europe and Asia, ZyXEL has more than 2000 employees globally, with distributors in more than seventy countries, and products marketed in more than 150 countries on five continents.

About Team Dignitas

Team Dignitas Limited was formed in 2003 with the aim to become one of the best professional gaming teams in the world.

We strive to maintain high standards in our gaming teams through the dedication of our players and staff. We wish to attend major esports events worldwide so that our players will be able to show off their skills to the world.

For further information please contact

Joanna Timmermann

Octopus Communications for ZyXEL

T: +44(0) 845 3700655

E: ZyXEL@octopuscomms.net