World's Best Gamers Invade Raleigh for Major League Gaming Pro Circuit Summer Championship August 24-26

Hundreds Compete for Nearly $215k Playing StarCraft ® II: Wings of Liberty ®, Mortal Kombat™ and Soul Calibur V on PlayStation®3 (PS3™) System and League of Legends

Event Features Two Stages of StarCraft II Action, Includes North America Finals of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II World Championship Series

Competition Streamed LIVE at www.majorleaguegaming.com

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recent champions TaeJa, ViBE and CDjr, are just a few of the hundreds of top players heading to Raleigh, N.C., on a quest to dominate the global competitive video game scene. Coming off the largest event in North American eSports history, Major League Gaming (MLG), the preeminent competitive video game league, is returning to the Tar Heel state for the MLG Summer Championship. From August 24-26, thousands of fans will descend upon the Greater Raleigh Convention Center and millions more will watch online as the world's best compete in the three-day tournament for nearly $215,000 in prizes. Spectator and HD online viewing passes are available at http://store.majorleaguegaming.com/.

The Games, Players and Prizing

Gamers from around the globe will compete playing Blizzard Entertainment's blockbuster real-time strategy game StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty®, on PC, Mortal Kombat and Soul Calibur V on PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system and League of Legends on PC.

Pro Circuit Competition:

• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on PC - $76,000 in prizes; $25,000 for 1st Place - Coming off recent wins, Korean players TaeJa, Marine King and Violet will go up against hundreds of players from around the world for the 1st place prize of $25,000.
• Mortal Kombat and Soul Calibur V on PS3 - $33,400 in prizes – DetroitBalln, CDjr, Keev_, Kayane, LostProvidence, Pig of the Hut and more will compete for $16,700 in prizes for each game.
• League of Legends on PC - $40,000 in prizes – 12 teams including Curse and Dignitas will battle for 1st place recognition. This is the last opportunity for NA teams to earn points for Riot Games' Season 2 Challenger Circuit NA Regionals.

StarCraft II World Championship Series North America Finals:

In addition to the MLG Pro Circuit tournament, the event will feature a separate stage and competition area for the North America Finals of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II World Championship Series. Participants will vie for $60,000 in prize money and the chance to represent their countries at the Battle.net® World Championship event to be held November 17-18 in Shanghai, China. Top competitors from around North America include Scarlett, one of the world's best female players who only dropped one map in winning the Canada Finals, as well as ViBE and MajOr, the champions of the USA Finals and Mexico Finals, respectively.

Exhibitions:

The Summer Championship will also feature two Exhibition competitions on PS3 featuring Virtua Fighter 5 and Skullgirls. Each will have a prize pool of $2,000 and run all day Friday and Saturday with the finals playing out on the Fighting Stream Main stage on Saturday.

On Site Spectating - $35 for the weekend

Thousands of in-person spectators will view the competition on four stages with huge video screens and LIVE commentating. Attendees will visit an array of booths featuring meet and greets with Pro Players and MLG personalities, the latest products from partners, pre-release access to games and more. Booth highlights include:

• BenQ, official gaming monitor sponsor of MLG: See how BenQ's professional gaming monitors, designed by legendary gamers, will take your game to the next level. Why play when you can conQuer! Tournament monitors available at $249 (RL2450HT) and $179 (GL2450HM).
• BIC® Flex4® Razors, official razor of MLG: Compete in the BIC® Flex4® Razors Challenge Center and take on other spectators for prizes in a variety of popular games for PS3, Xbox, and PC.
• Dr Pepper, official soft drink of MLG:  Stop by for Play-a-Pro sessions, photo opps in the Dr Pepper Photo Booth, Text-to-Win promotions and to try an ice cold Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper or Dr Pepper Ten.
• Full Sail University: Take a moment to relax, re-charge your phones and learn how to create your own gaming character at the Full Sail University booth! Located in Winter Park, Florida (just outside of Orlando), Full Sail University specializes in an accelerated style of education geared toward video games, design, animation and more. Visit fullsail.edu for more information.
• GUNNAR Optiks, officially licensed eyewear of MLG - Advanced Gaming Eyewear: Nab those extra frags by visiting the MLG Pro Shop where you can demo, ask questions, and purchase MLG Phantoms and MLG Legends. Keep an eye on the MLG Mobile Application for special videos, photo contests, prize giveaways, swag, and more.
• iBUYPOWER, official gaming PC of MLG: iBUYPOWER is giving away an autographed Chimera 4 and more prizes! Check the iBUYPOWER booth or website during the championship for more information. Also stop by to learn about the hardware engineering and design that goes into making a competitive-grade gaming system, and play on one too!
• Mad Catz - MLG Pro Circuit Controllers for Xbox 360 and PS3 and MLG Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition: Purchase the MLG Pro Circuit Controller and accessories and the MLG Arcade FightStick. Mad Catz will be featuring their new hard tension analog stick ProModules and previewing their new Button D-Pad ProModule for the Pro Circuit Controller. Mad Catz in partnership with Namco Bandai Games, will also have the much anticipated fighting title, TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 playable at their booth throughout the weekend.
• MLG Pro Shop:  Purchase an array of new MLG merchandise including Nike apparel (quarter zips, hoodies and t shirts), limited edition Summer Championship gear, Battle.net World Championship tees, v-necks and much more. Plus, customize tees with names and short phrases.
• NOS, official energy drink of MLG: NOS invites fans to attend the NOS MLG Summer Championship Kick Off Party on Thursday, August 23 from 8 - 10pm at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, 3rd floor. Stop by the party to play MLG Pro Circuit games, sample free NOS, mingle with Pro players and MLG personalities and have a chance to win special prizes.
• PlayStation®, official partner of MLG:   Play, Compete, and Win at the all new PlayStation Compound.  Go head to head on PS3 and PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) handheld entertainment system for big prizes! Compete in PS3 exclusives like PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale, Borderlands® 2, and DUST 514, as well as a selection of PS Vita titles.
• SteelSeries:  Bow to the tournament master. Try out the NEW SteelSeries Sensei MLG Edition Gaming Mouse inside the SteelSeries booth and purchase it at the MLG Pro Shop.  You can also check out two versions of the SteelSeries QcK+ MLG Edition mousepads available in the MLG Pro Shop for $20 each.
• Turtle Beach, official headset and audio equipment of MLG:  Be on the lookout for Turtle Beach's official lab assistants throughout the Raleigh Convention Center to score an exclusive invite to Turtle Beach's top-secret "SEVEN Lab." The SEVEN Lab is a private facility where select attendees will have the opportunity for a special hands-on with the MLG Ear Force XP-SEVEN and Z-SEVEN headsets, as well as experience the TM1 tournament mixer. Attendees' valuable feedback will be collected, evaluated and integrated into future product development. In addition, SEVEN Lab participants will be entered for the chance to win a new SEVEN Series headset. Turtle Beach will also host a giveaway awarding three lucky attendees a day with the chance to take home either an Ear Force PX3 or Ear Force XP500 gaming headset.
• Xperia Smartphone by Sony: Visit the Xperia Smartphone by Sony booth to play Modern Combat 3, N.O.V.A. 3 and other exciting mobile games on the Xperia™ ion and Xperia™ S, PlayStation Certified© to guarantee a high-quality smartphone gaming experience. Also, sign up to be a contender in the Xperia Mobile Gaming Arena for a chance to win over $10,000 in cash prizes. Plus, Xperia owners receive early entry to the event (30 minutes) on Friday, August 24th.

Online Viewing in HD

For those not attending in person, the weekend competition will be broadcast LIVE online via seven streams at www.majorleaguegaming.com/live beginning August 24 at 5pm ET. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will be featured on four streams, two streams will showcase League of Legends and one stream will feature fighting games. Fans can watch standard definition for free or upgrade to watch ad-free in HD and secure nearly immediate access to VODs. MLG's streaming partner for the second successful year in a row is Streamworks International, a global company that specializes in delivering live, real-time video to internet-enabled devices.

Some of the most talented casters in the world of eSports will be commentating the tournament including:  

• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty: Four streams cast by Day[9], Apollo, djWheat, TotalBiscuit, Mr Bitter, Rotterdam, Rob Simpson, Tim Frazier (Robin), Axeltoss, Kibbelz, Clutch, and Adebisi (observer).
• League of Legends: Two streams cast by Dan Dinh, Optimus Tom, Deman, Monte Cristo, Jaws, and Jatt.
• Fighting Games: One stream cast by Tom Brady for Mortal Kombat, Bibulus for Soul Calibur V, and hosted by Juicebox Abel.

Details about the MLG Summer Championship - Raleigh:

Dates/Hours:    

• Friday, August 24 - Doors open at 1:30 PM with the official welcome at 5:00 PM and competition on the main stages from 5:30 PM – 1:30 AM
• Saturday, August 25 - 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM
• Sunday, August 26 - 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Location:              Greater Raleigh Convention Center, Halls A, B & C

500 South Salisbury Street

Pricing:  Spectator Passes for the weekend: $35 ($30 for Gold Members)

Katie Goldberg - VP Communications and PR

Major League Gaming

P: 917-338-2391

kgoldberg@mlgpro.com

ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING:

Founded in 2002, Major League Gaming (MLG) (www.majorleaguegaming.com) is the dominant media property exclusively targeting tens of millions of consumers worldwide who have a passion for playing video games as a competitive social activity. The company gives aspiring gamers around the world an opportunity to compete, improve their skills, and socialize through a thriving competitive community with more than 750,000 matches each month online and LIVE in-person Pro Circuit tournaments in cities nationwide. MLG broadcasts all Pro Circuit play via LIVE streaming online to hundreds of thousands of fans from more than 170 countries. 

ABOUT BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.:

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes fourteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

ABOUT RIOT GAMES:

Riot Games was established in 2006 by entrepreneurial gamers who believe that player-focused game development can result in great games. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to critical and player acclaim. Since launch, gamers from around the world have flocked to League of Legends -- over 11 million play every month. Players form the foundation of our community and it's for them that we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.

ABOUT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT:

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC:

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® systems, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) system, and its online and network services, the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP, PSPgo, PS Vita and PS3 systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations. Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com.

©2012 Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. "PlayStation", "PSP", "PS one" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks and "PS3" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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