Xbox News Want to be the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion?Xbox announces the Pac-Man World Championship on Xbox LIVE Arcade – one lucky Kiwi or Aussie gamer could be munching their way to New York City
From April 25 to May 9, Kiwi fans of one of the most beloved games of all time will have the opportunity to become the Pac-Man World Champion by playing the game via Xbox LIVE Arcade along with the Xbox LIVE online gaming community of more than six million members. Drawn from the best players in the Xbox 360 regions of Australia/New Zealand, Asia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Europe and the United States, nine finalists will advance to the finals based upon the highest Xbox LIVE Arcade leaderboard scores and be flown to New York City for the finals on June 5. The winner will be crowned the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion by Toru Iwatani, the creator of Pac-Man. Since launching in 1980 in Japan and in 1981 around the world, Pac-Man and its host of ghosts have become global pop culture icons. Pac Man played an instrumental role in establishing the video game industry in the '80s, while the launch of Xbox LIVE in 2002 was a key factor behind the rapid growth in popularity of online gaming.
Today, Xbox LIVE Arcade is the premier online destination for digitally distributed, high-definition games – with more than 25 million downloads – offering Pac-Man fans across the globe a great opportunity to connect, compete and enjoy the fun through the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Xbox NZ product marketing manager Tom Hunt says, "Pac-Man is the ultimate classic game that appeals to all ages – thousands of Kiwis will have a 'Pac-Man heritage'. "The Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship is a great incentive for fans old and new to start munching those power pills and fall in love with this iconic game all over again." He adds, "Pac-Man has been an extremely popular download on Xbox LIVE Arcade Marketplace and the competition for a spot in the Pac-Man World Championship will be hugely contested – I really want to see a Kiwi gamer representing us in the finals in the Big Apple. "The tournament is open to all Xbox LIVE Silver members (Xbox LIVE Silver membership is complimentary with Xbox 360) and downloading Pac-Man from Xbox LIVE Arcade costs just 400 Microsoft Points – that's less than $7 and you could be winging your way to New York!" The Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion will gain a place in gaming history from being the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion and The winner of the finals will also receive other great prizes, including 100,000 Microsoft Points for games, movies and other content available on Xbox LIVE, and a one-of-a-kind Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system featuring a design inspired by Pac-Man. Participation information and timeline:
From April 25, 2007, Kiwi gamers can sign up for the Pac-Man World Championships at http://www.xboxlivetournament.com and proudly represent their country. Also on the site will be a complete list of participating countries and country-specific eligibility criteria, rules and regulations. |
Microsoft Corp. and NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. have made video game history by announcing the first-ever Xbox 360 