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Over 200 of America’s Best Gamers to Compete for Spots on WCG’s TEAM USA

NThe World Cyber Games (WCG), the recognized leader for global video game competitions, and The New York Anime Festival (NYAF), an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con, today announced a partnership that will welcome America’s very best gamers to the 2009 New York Anime Festival — September 25-27 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, NY.

200 of the best gamers in America will battle it out on nine different gaming titles for one of the coveted thirteen spots on TEAM USA and the chance to take home a share of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. Members of TEAM USA will then travel to Chengedu, China to take on the world’s best gamers from 70 other countries at the WCG 2009 Grand Final.

The World Cyber Games is a year-long international gaming tournament widely renowned as the ‘Olympics’ of the Video Games, and has been certified as the “World’s largest video game festival” by the Guinness Book of Records with 1.5 million gamers from 74 countries. The WCG’s latest innovation, WCG Ultimate Gamer, is an 8-episode reality TV show that just finished airing on the SCI FI channel. Winner Mark Smith has earned the grand prize of $100,000, the ultimate Samsung Electronics package, and a contract to represent the WCG at events worldwide.

“We are extremely proud to partner with Reed Exhibitions — the very best in event entertainment,” said Aaron Smolick, Director of Marketing with the WCG. “The WCG is elevating eSports to the next level in North America and proving once again that we are the most significant competitive circuit in the World.”

Gaming fans will be able to see several elite competitors live at this year’s WCG USA National Final as several returning members of last year’s WCG TEAM USA as well as the cast of the SCI FI Channel’s WCG Ultimate Gamer will be gaming all weekend on the industry-leading Samsung high definition TVs, monitors and mobile phones. PC, Console and Mobile games featured in the WCG USA 2009 tournament include:
· Half-Life®: Counter-Strike^TM 1.6 (5 v. 5 Team FPS )
· Starcraft®: Brood War^TM: (1 v. 1 RTS)
· WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne^TM (1 v. 1 RTS)
· FIFA Soccer 09 (1 v. 1 Sports)
· Carom3D (1 v. 1 Casual)
· Red Stone (4 v. 4 Team MMORPG)
· Gears of War 2® (4 v. 4 Team FPS) US title only
· Guitar Hero® World Tour (1 v. 1 Music)
· Virtua Fighter® 5 (1 v. 1 Fighting)
· Asphalt 3: Street Rules (1 v. 1 Racing)
· WiseStar (1 v. 1 Strategy)

“We are very excited to partner with the World Cyber Games,” said Lance Fensterman, Show Manager of the New York Anime Festival. “Our attendees hunger for video games, and the WCG will provide fans with the best of the best. The WCG National Final is a unique event that we are honored to host.”

“Samsung has been the worldwide partner of the World Cyber Games since 2000 and is pleased to continue our support of the global competition that brings the passion of gaming to life,” said David Steel, senior vice president of strategic marketing for Samsung Electronics America. “The participants and fans of the World Cyber Games are some of the most technologically-savvy individuals around and we want them to experience the best technology Samsung has to offer while competitively gaming.”

The New York Anime Festival dates and hours are:
· Friday, September 25 | 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
· Saturday, September 26 | 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
· Sunday, September 27 | 10:00 AM – 5:00PM

Registration for the 2009 WCG USA Championship Tournament is still open. US citizens are invited to visit www.wcg.com/usa to register for this year’s tournament and to obtain more information about the WCG USA Championship tournament, the WCG Ultimate Gamer and TEAM USA. The WCG global market registrations are locally driven; international players should consult their home country’s respective WCG website, which can be reached via links on www.wcg.com.

For more info about attending the New York Anime Festival, including ticket information, please go to www.newyorkanimefestival.com.

Additional Official Game Titles: FIFA 09, TrackMania, Carom3D, Red Stone

Mobile Game Titles: Wise Star2, Asphalt 4
Promotional Game Title: Dungeon & Fighter

Quest to Earn A Spot on Team USA Begins with the WCG USA Invitational at the Samsung Experience
May 16 and 17

World Cyber Games (WCG / www.wcg.com), the premier international video game competition and festival, has announced seven additional game titles which will be featured throughout 2009.

The additions include all-time favorite Xbox 360 and PC titles FIFA 09, TrackMania Nations Forever, Carom3D and Red Stone as the Official Game Titles for WCG. They will join the previously announced five Official Game Titles – including Counter-Strike 1.6 (PC), Starcraft®: Brood War (PC), WarCraft® III The Frozen Throne (PC), Guitar Hero®: World Tour (Xbox 360) and Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360) – to ensure that this year’s competition features a wide variety of games that appeal to all different types of gamers around the world.

This marks the ninth year that FIFA Soccer will be an Official Game Title for WCG. The beloved soccer game provided one of the shockers of the 2008 Grand Final when Romania ended Germany’s dominance to capture the gold. Also marking return engagements in the competition will be Carom3D, which has been a part of the WCG for the past three years, and Red Stone, which made its WCG debut last year. TrackMania, the world famous racing game, will add to the competition’s long pedigree of racing games.

Adding to the diversity of the 2009 tournament will be the return of the Mobile Game Category. After making a huge splash through ‘Samsung Mobile Challenge’ at the 2008 Grand Final, the two mobile games to be featured include Asphalt 4 and the celestial puzzle game Wise Star2. Also in this year’s line-up, MORPG (Multi-player online role-playing game) Dungeon & Fighter will be featured as a Promotional Title.

“The World Cyber Games is more committed than ever to make eSports accessible to every type of gamer around the world” said Hyoung-Seok Kim, president and CEO of World Cyber Games. “This year’s lineup not only features a wide variety of Official Game Titles including Xbox 360 and PC games, but we are expanding the number of mobile games. With these new titles, we expect the 2009 Grand Final to be the most diverse and exciting we have ever had.”

WCG also announced the date of WCG 2009 Grand Final. This year the annual event will be held from November 11 to 15, for 5 days taking place in Chengdu, China.

The road to the Grand Final begins in the United States on May 16th and 17th as the nation’s best and brightest gamers converge at the Samsung Experience in New York for the annual WCG USA 2009 Invitational (formerly the US Open). Traditionally the opening of the WCG competition in the United States, the WCG USA 2009 Invitational is the first opportunity for players to begin their quest to earn a spot on Team USA, which is among the best teams in the world having captured the overall team title two years ago and placing third last year. Current members of Team USA and high-ranking gamers from across the United States will be among the competitors at this two-day event, which provides elite ranked gamers the opportunity to bypass the WCG Online and Regional Tournaments and proceed directly to the WCG National Final. Gamers will also duke it out for a separate prize purse, invitations to the WCG Pan-American Championship and other great cash and electronic prizes.