Newsflash:

Team USA to Defend WCG Crown

New York—Twelve gamers, the best in the country, were left standing at the end of the World Cyber Games USA Championship National Final in Las Vegas at the Aladdin Hotel from September 15-17, 2006. Together they now form Team USA and will fly to Monza, Italy next week to square off against 700 elite players from 70 countries at the 2006 World Cyber Games Grand Final, where they will defend Team USA's "Grand Champion" title earned in Singapore in 2005.

The World Cyber Games is the planet's biggest video and computer gaming event, with over $2.5 million in cash and prizes distributed worldwide among an estimated 1.25 million participants at World Cyber Games events. Success at the WCG Grand Final is considered the highest mark of distinction in the world by gamers.

Best of the Best
In the U.S., online qualifiers were held in eight PC and Xbox 360™ video games from May through July, leading to live regional playoffs in July and August. Only 137 of the country's very best gamers reached the WCG USA Championship tournament.When the dust settled, only 12 USA champions remained, hailing from California to New York, Texas to Iowa.

"This has been another great year in e-sports and the best-ever for the World Cyber Games USA Championship," said Michael Arzt, SVP and General Manager for International Cyber Marketing, the global organizer of the World Cyber Games. "Our national competition is getting bigger each year—a testament to the growth of e-sports as an entertainment of choice in America."

U.S.Finalists
All eyes will be on Manny "MASTER" Rodriguez in Dead or Alive® 4 (Xbox 360). DOA4 promises to be a hotly contested category and Rodriguez has confidently pledged to snatch the gold away from the heavily favored Japanese fighting game contingent.

Other prospects include Russ "Ir0nclad" Watson, who returns to the Grand Final in Warhammer 40K (PC), a new game after having competed previously in WarCraft, another PC title. Franklin "nilknarf" Pearsall took top honors in WarCraft III (PC) and takes the WCG reigns from celebrated champion Dennis Chan, aiming to at least match the silver medal finish for the US in 2005. Kamran "omegaelite" Siddiqui returns for a third shot at the gold in Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PC), while Wesley "TTR Ch0mpr" Cwiklo will test his chops for the first time on the big stage in Project Gotham Racing® 3 (Xbox 360).

There's a lot at stake for Team USA. In addition to defending their WCG Grand Champion status, there's a total cash prize purse worth over $462,000 and the chance to attract the attention of major corporate sponsors. Seattle will play host to the 2007 Grand Final, and all eyes are on Team USA to set the stage for those games.

Team USA is competing in two Xbox 360 and six PC games including:

Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360): Wesley "TTR Ch0mpr" Cwiklo Camarillo, California

Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360): Manny "MASTER" Rodriguez of Dallas, Texas

Counter-Strike (PC): Team 3D

• Dave "Moto" Geffon of Austin, Texas
• Ronald "Rambo" Kim of Dallas, Texas
• Josh "Dominator" Sievers of Polk City, Iowa
• Salvatore "Volcano" Garozzo of Eastchester, New York
• Mike "Method" So of Los Angeles, California

Warhammer 40k (PC): Russ "Ir0nclad" Watson of Wylie, Texas

WarCraft III (PC): Franklin "nilknarf" Pearsall of Kenmore, Washington

StarCraft: Brood War (PC):Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski of Salem, New Hampshire

FIFA Soccer 06 (PC):Isidro "novushaim" Sifuentes of Houston, Texas

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PC): Kamran "omegaelite" Siddiqui of Orlando, Florida

SAMSUNG Electronics is the worldwide sponsor of World Cyber Games. Microsoft Xbox 360 and AMD joined as the premier sponsors of WCG 2006 Grand Final while ATI and SyncMaster are official sponsors.

Videos of the WCG USA Finals can be viewed at http://www.ggl.com/wcgtv.php.

For information on the WCG Grand Final, visit http://www.worldcybergames.com.

World Cyber Games
The World Cyber Games (WCG) is an annual global game culture festival that was founded in 2000 to promote global harmony through e-sports. With the slogan "Beyond the Game," the World Cyber Games has truly developed into a global game phenomenon with arguably the largest prize amount at stake. The 2006 WCG Grand Final will be held on October 18-22, 2006 in Monza, Italy with 700 world's best gamers from 70 countries competing for the total prize of USD$462,000 and the champion title. The World Cyber Games prides itself on leading the "Digital Entertainment Culture."