The 2011 MLG Pro Circuit season has been record breaking with the largest prize purse to date, the most epic crowds, and millions tuning in from around the globe to watch the competition LIVE online. The excitement continues this weekend as top pro players, aspiring amateurs, and thousands of video game fans return to the sunshine state for the Major League Gaming (MLG) Orlando Pro Circuit, marking the 7th time MLG has held an event in Orlando, Florida. From October 14-16, competitors from around the globe will battle in the last Pro Circuit before the 2011 championship for more than $120,000 in prizes playing Blizzard Entertainment’s blockbuster real-time strategy game, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on PC, the record-setting Call of Duty: Black Ops on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) entertainment system, and the popular Halo: Reach on Xbox 360.
Fans can go online to purchase spectator passes for the weekend, watch the event in real-time and become MLG league members to receive discounts on passes, as well as free 720p high quality, ad-free LIVE video streaming of all the event action. The Pro Circuit will be broadcast via LIVE video streams all weekend with two streams dedicated to StarCraft II (Red and Blue), one stream for Halo: Reach and one stream for Call of Duty: Black Ops. MLG Silver and Gold members, and those that purchase an HQPass, will also have exclusive access to BETA test two new StarCraft II streams. MLG works with Streamworks, the global end-to-end streaming company, to deliver live and on-demand coverage.
The Orlando competition is the fifth of a challenging, six-city US Pro Circuit tour that pits the most talented players against their toughest opponents. More than $1 million will be awarded throughout the year making this the largest MLG season to date. Live streaming of the recent Raleigh Pro Circuit (August 26-28) resulted in an all-time high 138,000 peak concurrent online stream viewers. Fans from 173 countries watched the LIVE streams and more than 3 million hours of video were consumed throughout the weekend. The 2011 Pro Circuit culminates with the MLG national championship in Providence, Rhode Island from November 18-20 where players will compete for more than $600,000.
The Players and Games
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on PC
Hundreds of players from around the world will compete in the StarCraft II tournament, including Raleigh Pro Circuit champion ST_Bomber and Korean players SlayerS_Boxer, ST_JulyZerg and Prime_HongUn, all of whom will make the trip to Orlando through MLG’s exchange program with GOMTV's Global StarCraft II League (GSL).
Call of Duty: Black Ops on PlayStation 3 system
Hundreds of players will battle for a 1st place prize of $10,000 in gameplay modes Capture the Flag, Domination and Search and Destroy. After defeating Collapse in Raleigh for first place, Quantic FeaR will fight for the championship spot against top ranked teams including eon EnVy, eon OpTic Gaming, Quantic LeveraGe and Quantic Nex-TT-hreat.
Halo: Reach on Xbox 360
Hundreds of Halo: Reach players will compete during the three-day, double-elimination tournament for the 1st place prize of $20,000. After dethroning #1 team Instinct in Raleigh, newly-formed team Infamous which includes Florida locals, will fight to prove they are not a one-hit-wonder against top teams eon Instinct, Believe The Hype, UoR Dynasty and Status Quo.
The Experience
Thousands of spectators will view all of the action via three giant main stages with huge video screens and live commentating similar to traditional sporting events. Attendees can visit an array of booths featuring meet and greets with the Pros, the latest products from MLG partners, pre-release access to games and more. Booth highlights include:
· MLG Booth: Visit the MLG booth for an opportunity to meet MLG pro players and personalities, compete in the Black Ops FFA to win exclusive prizes, and participate in the MLG booth scavenger hunt to win cool prizes.
· Sony Ericsson, official mobile handset of MLG: Demo the NEW Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY 4G available for purchase ($49.99) and experience new titles like 9mm by Gameloft and FIFA 12 by EA for the first time at the Sony Ericsson booth. Compete in mobile gaming competitions for a chance to win great prizes like your very own Xperia PLAY 4G.
· Dr Pepper, official soft drink of MLG: Stop by for play-a-Pro sessions, signings, Text-to-Win promotions with an array of prizing, and a chance to meet the new Dr Pepper Girls.
· BIC Flex4 Razors, official razor of MLG: Play Halo: Reach in the BIC Flex4 Live FFA (free-for-all or individual) competition. One winner will be flown to the MLG National Championships to compete for $4,000. Plus, participate in a text-2-win promotion for a chance to win cool gaming gear like an ASTRO A40 Audio System.
· PlayStation, official partner of MLG: Get hands-on with Uncharted 3 and PlayStationVita first at the PlayStation Compound. Experience the PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter attachment, the new PlayStation 3D Monitor with SimulView and compete with friends for amazing prizes. Meet and play against Call of Duty: Black Ops Pros Rambo, Big Tymer, TeePee and Stainville.
· STRIDE, official gum of MLG: Participate in unique challenges throughout the weekend and receive Pro Player autographs from Tyler and Naded.
· Alienware, the official desktop of MLG: Experience the most powerful desktops available at Alienware gaming stations throughout the venue.
· ASTRO, the official headset of MLG: Check out and buy the latest gear - the A40 2011 and A30 pro gaming headsets.
· Mad Catz: Try out the soon to be released MLG controller and MLG fight stick for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
· CALIBUR 11: Check out and purchase the MLG Vault for Xbox360 –an external case for Xbox 360 slim hardware.
In advance of the event, Orlando area Play N Trade stores and UFC campus stores are offering free spectator passes with the purchase of NOS, the official energy drink of MLG.
