Xbox LIVE Official Halo 3 Tournament Terms and Conditions of Entry
1. Contest Description
The official Halo 3 tournament on Xbox LIVE is a real time skill-based contest in which Xbox LIVE subscribers in the countries listed below can play Halo 3 on the Xbox LIVE gaming platform and be eligible to be crowned the Halo 3 champion in their country. One champion from each country will then be given the opportunity to compete in the second stage of the tournament, a pan-European Halo 3 tournament final (the “Tournament”).
The sponsor of this Tournament is:
Microsoft Limited
Microsoft Campus
Thames Valley Park
Reading
RG6 1WG
UK
(the “Sponsor”).
2. Eligibility
This Tournament is only open to residents of:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
To compete in this Tournament through Xbox LIVE, participants need to (i) be 18 years or older as at February 25th 2008, (ii) have access to a Microsoft Xbox 360 video game system and a licensed copy of the Xbox game title Halo 3 (iii) have a valid Xbox LIVE subscription, (iv) have a valid Xbox.com account, and (vi) be in good standing on Xbox.com and the Xbox LIVE™ service ("Players").
Employees of the Sponsor, Bungie and members of their immediate families (defined for purposes of these rules as husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter), their subsidiaries and affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, or any person or third party company working on the product, project, or promotion or others providing services to the Sponsor in connection with this Tournament are not eligible to participate.
3. Registration / Qualification
Players will be required to register before they compete in the Tournament via Xbox LIVE between 25 February - 23 March 2008.
To register in the Tournament Players must:
- Sign into Xbox LIVE
- Press A on the Tournament banner on the Xbox LIVE Dashboard
- On the Tournament microsite, navigate to the ‘registration’ tab;
- Press A on the Tournament registration GamerPic
- Select ‘Download Now’
- Players will then be registered for the Tournament
Registering to compete in the Tournament does not guarantee that Players will be qualified to participate in Tournament. The Sponsor reserves the right to verify all eligibility criteria outlined in these terms and conditions, even after registration has been closed.
Players may only compete using a single Gamertag. If an individual is found to have competed fraudulently under multiple identities or Gamertags, they will not be considered an eligible Player, they will be disqualified from participating in the Tournament and they could be disqualified from participating in future Xbox tournaments. Please be sure that your Xbox LIVE account information, including e-mail addresses and address/phone, is correct and current as the Sponsor will use these details to contact Players.
The Tournament will comprise two stages;
- Stage 1 – Players must play Halo 3 between 18th – 30th March 2008 on Xbox LIVE and register their highest score on the Intl Tournament Playlist;
- Stage 2 – on 17th April 2008: the winning Players from each of the participating countries will compete against each other in an Xbox LIVE tournament where the ultimate champion will be decided.
Stage One.
For Players, stage one will begin at 00:01 BST on March 18, 2008 and end at 11:59 AM GMT on March 30, 2008. At 11:59 AM GMT on March 30 2008, the Halo 3 Intl Tournament playlist will be recorded, and one highest ranked player from each participating country, will be identified.
To ensure your score is registered on the Intl Tournament playlist, you will need to do the following:
Start Game
- Turn on your Xbox 360 console
- Sign into Xbox LIVE
- Place your copy of Halo 3 in your Xbox 360 disc drive
- Load your Halo 3 profile
- Select ‘Matchmaking’ from the main menu
- Select the ‘Playlist’ option
- Got to ‘Ranked Playlists’
- Select the ‘Intl Tournament’ Playlist
- Press B to return to the Matchmaking menu
- Select ‘Start Matchmaking’
- You are now ready to play in a Ranked Official Halo 3 Tournament sponsored by Samsung TV game
- You will play in one of three randomly selected game types – Slayer, King of the Hill or Oddball
- Points will be awarded for your performance and final standing in each game you play in this playlist
- Please continue to play using the ‘Intl Tournament’ Playlist to ensure your Official Halo 3 Tournament sponsored by Samsung TV Ranking is tracked
- At the end of the open play phase of the Tournament the top ranked player in each competing European country will qualify for the European Final
In the event that there are Players who are ranked in the ‘IntlTournament’ playlist leaderboard on the relevant date who are not eligible Players, the next highest ranked (i.e., a lower ranked) Player(s) who are eligible may be selected in their place.
One Player from each country with the highest in-country score will be selected to compete in stage two of the Tournament.
The selected Players will be notified on or around March 31, 2008, by either telephone or email that they have been selected to participate in stage two. If the winner does not respond to this communication within 3 days they will forfeit their place and the next eligible winner will be contacted.
At the end of Stage One, if any Players are tied in 1st place with the highest score then those Players will compete in a separate ‘playoff’ match to decide the ultimate in-country Stage One winner.
Stage Two.
The 14 finalists from stage one will be invited to participate in a one time Halo 3 competition against each other over Xbox LIVE on 17th April. Finalists will be contacted prior to this date and informed of full timing details.
Finalists will play one final game of Halo 3 on Xbox LIVE. The game mode will be Slayer on the Valhalla map. The first person to reach 25 points before the time limit runs out, or the person on top of the leaderboard when the time limit runs out, will be the overall Tournament winner. The second and third placed players at the end of the game will qualify as overall Tournament runners-up.
4. Behaviour
Any Player competing, in the Sponsor's reasonable opinion, in an unsportsmanlike manner or in a manner that is not in compliance with these rules or the xbox.com, or Xbox LIVE terms of use may be immediately disqualified from the Tournament and may be disqualified from competing in any future www.xbox.com or Xbox LIVE events. Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following offences:
- Unsportsmanlike conduct (voice)
- Swearing or threats
- Spamming or screaming
- Harassment
- Lewdness
- Using any device to create loud sounds
- Any other type of conduct deemed inappropriate
- Unsportsmanlike conduct (gameplay)
- Cheating of any sort through various means
- Continuous pauses during the gameplay
- Delaying or slowing gameplay using various tactics
- Intentionally disconnecting the network cable
- Intentionally interrupting network connectivity
- Using any type of modified teams
- Using any ‘game codes’ or other means of enhancing a players score
- Any other known or unknown way of tampering with gameplay
5. Prize
Whomever wins the stage two tournament will be crowned Xbox LIVE Halo 3 European Champion and will receive the following prizes:
- 1 x 40” Samsung HDTV (approximate value £800 / €1000)
- 1 x Xbox Elite Console (approximate value £299 / €400)
Each country winner will receive:
- Limited edition, framed piece of Halo 3 artwork (approximate value of £30 / €50)
The payment of any applicable tax on a prize is the sole responsibility of the winner. No substitution or transfer of a prize is permitted except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. If a winner cannot or will not accept a prize, the prize will be forfeited. The Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value and nature, giving notice thereof to Players as soon as possible and before the prizes are delivered to the winners, if entire prize or a portion of the prize is unavailable. If the Tournament is cancelled for any reason, the Sponsor shall have no further obligation to the Players.
6. Conduct
By entering the Tournament, Players agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and by the Xbox LIVE terms and conditions (accepted during sign up to Xbox LIVE and viewable online at www.xbox.com). Players further agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. The Sponsor reserves the right, at its discretion, to disqualify any individual that it has reason to believe has tampered with the type, process, or operation of the game in order to increase their position on the leaderboards, to be acting in breach of the terms and conditions or Xbox LIVE terms and conditions, has provided any inaccurate or untrue information or has acted in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PLAYER OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GAME IS A CONTRAVENTION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PLAYER TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
7. Limitations of Liability
TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY PLAYER IS REQUIRED TO DOWNLOAD ANY SOFTWARE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TOURNAMENT THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL APPLY. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THE SOFTWARE TO ANY OTHER SERVER OR LOCATION FOR FURTHER REPRODUCTION OR REDISTRIBUTION IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. THE SOFTWARE IS WARRANTED, IF AT ALL, ONLY ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE APPLICABLE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS WARRANTED IN THE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, TO THE EXTENT ALLOWABLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THE SPONSOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WHICH REGARD TO THE SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
The Sponsor is not liable in any way if a Player is not able to participate in the Tournament or a Player's participation is adversely affected for any reason beyond the Sponsor's reasonable control, including, without limitation:
(i) any incorrect or inaccurate information whether caused by Players or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilised in the Tournament or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of game plays;
(ii) any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorised access which may result in alteration of game plays or game results;
(iii) any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or registration to be received by the Sponsor or Player on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Player's or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in the Tournament; and
(iv) the inability of any Player to access or complete a game due to any technical malfunction or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof.
Players participating in the Tournament do so at their own risk with regard to the effects of flickering or intermittent images or regular visual patterns.
To the extent allowable under applicable law, Players agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, including but not limited to loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the Tournament or any prize won.
If for any reason the Tournament is not capable of being run as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failure, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of the Sponsor, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Tournament, the Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Tournament.
8. General Conditions
The conduct of this Tournament and the interpretation and enforcement of these Official Rules is governed by the laws of the country in which the Player resides. In the event that any dispute arises regarding the Tournament, Players agree that the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with the laws of their country of residence. Tournament winners may be required to execute statements of eligibility and publicity releases in accordance with these terms and conditions within 2 days of receiving notification from the Sponsor that they have won a prize. Non-compliance within this time period may result in disqualification and an alternate Tournament winner, with the next highest ranking score, being selected. In the event that any of the winners are determined to be ineligible and/or are disqualified for any reason whatsoever, or declines to accept the Prize, an alternative winner with the next highest ranking score will be selected. The statement of eligibility and publicity release provided to the potential winner (pursuant to the foregoing) will make reference to obtaining his/her free consent to use his/her name, place of residence and photo in order to advertise his/her win and promote the Tournament. In any case, the lack of such consent does not prevent the winner from receiving the prize.
Return of Prizes, or the returning of a Prize notification as undeliverable, will result in disqualification and any prizes which could not be delivered or were not claimed by the winners within 6 (six) months after the end of the Tournament will be delivered to the following charitable organization(s) the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
By accepting a Prize you hereby agree that the Sponsor and their advertising and promotional agencies may use your Gamertag, name, city of residence, and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes in association with this Tournament without additional compensation unless prohibited by law. You also grant the Sponsor a licence to to publish photos and/or videos of you and your participation in the Tournament including, without limitation, interviews with you, also without compensation. However, the Sponsor agrees not to transfer personally identifiable information about any Players, including, without limitation Tournament winners, to any third party, unless a Player has consented to the same.
If any provision or part of these terms and conditions is deemed void or otherwise unenforceable in law then that provision or part shall be deemed excluded, and the remainder of these terms and conditions shall remain in force.
9. Prizewinners List
The names of the Tournament Winners will be posted on the Internet at http://xbox.comwithin 15 days of the Tournament end date.
1 Updating Account Information Players are solely responsible for keeping their account information up to date for all information pertaining to Registration/Qualifying for any tournament. All changes for e-mail addresses, phone number, and so on need to be completed in advance of the registration end date of 23 March 2008. Change requests made the same day may not be reflected immediately. If you fail to update your account information for Xbox LIVE, and the Sponsor cannot contact you, you may be disqualified from competing.
Updating Account Information (example for email):
To verify/update your Xbox LIVE E-mail Address:
- From the Xbox Dashboard, select Xbox LIVE.
- Select Account Management.
- Select Billing.
- Select your account and enter the last four digits of the credit card number used for that account.
- Select Credit Card.
- From the first screen, select Continue.
- E-Mail Address is located here.
