Skip to main content

US FINALS FOR WORLD’S BIGGEST VIDEO GAME CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCED

- Samsung Sponsored World Cyber Games Brings America’s Elite Video Game Players to New York

- Winners Form 'Team USA' and Advance to Grand Final in Singapore

(NEW YORK, NY, August 31, 2005) - It will take more than fast fingers and caffeinated energy drinks to fuel the nation's top PC and video game players when they converge for the World Cyber Games US Final at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York September 8th through 10th, sponsored by Samsung Electronics. New York plays host to the US Final for the first time in the five year history of the world's largest e-Sports festival.

Players have honed their skills at local and regional qualifiers all summer and anxiously await their chance to win a slice of the $34,000 prize pool as well as the honor of representing America in Singapore for the Grand Final in November, where an additional $420,000 is at stake. Of the more than 40,000 gamers who have battled to qualify for the US Final, only 184 players remain.

"After the success of last year's Grand Final in San Francisco, it's clear that e-Sports are starting to come of age here in the United States," said Hank Jeong, World Cyber Games CEO. "The World Cyber Games ushers in a new dimension of e-Sports, where game enthusiasts can look forward to some of the most intense and dynamic video game action by the nation's best players. We have been committed for the past five years to see this take root in America and we will continue to create an environment for e-Sports to grow and flourish."

Unlike any other gaming tournament, WCG US Finalists are flown to New York and stay at the Official World Cyber Games Players' Village. The winners of each event will form Team USA and go to Singapore to face over 800 players from 70 countries, the world's elite gamers, at the Grand Final. More then $2.5 million in cash and prizes is expected to be distributed on a worldwide basis between an estimated 1 million gamers participating in World Cyber Games events.

The festivities kick off with Opening Ceremonies on Thursday, September 8 at 6:30 PM. For three days, spectators can watch America's top gamers compete live on giant monitors as famous shoutcaster Darryl 'SyN' Kucmerowski provides the blow-by-blow commentary. The festival includes a special guest appearance by WWE Superstar Mick Foley on Friday at 1:30 PM as well as New York Tokyo Anime films, musical performances by rock bands and daily drawings for prizes worth over $40,000 including Samsung Digital Cameras (Digimax V5) and Shuttle Gaming PCs. Admission is free.

Game categories and cash prizes for the US Final include:

PCs

  • HALF-LIFE: Counter-Strike - 1st Place $ 5,000; 2nd Place $ 2,500; 3rd Place $ 2,000
  • FIFA Soccer 2005 - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500
  • Need for Speed: Underground 2 - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500
  • StarCraft: Brood War - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500
  • WarCraft III: the Frozen Throne - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500
  • Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500

Xbox

  • Dead or Alive Ultimate - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500
  • Halo 2 - 1st Place $ 2,000; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $ 500

Samsung, Intel, Shuttle and Razer are sponsors for the World Cyber Games US Final. Samsung has been a global sponsor of the World Cyber Games since 2000.

For more information or to obtain press credentials, please contact:

Michael Steavenson

Text 100 International

212-331-8440

Michaels@Text100.com

About World Cyber Games

South Korea-based International Cyber Marketing (www.worldcybergames.com) is the global organizer of the World Cyber Games, the world's largest computer and video game festival, and is responsible for all World Cyber Games interactive game tournaments to be held in about 70 countries this year. This year the winners of each national event series will compete for the world championship title and prizes worth more than $400,000. Last year's World Cyber Games Grand Final was held in San Francisco, CA with more than 642 gamers from 59 countries, attracting major media such as The New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, Associated Press, Reuters, ABC, NBC, CBS, and many more.

Read this next

GamesIndustry.biz avatar
GamesIndustry International is the world's leading games industry website, incorporating GamesIndustry.biz and IndustryGamers.com.