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Samsung To Sponsor WCG Telecasts

Los Angeles – Looking to build its reputation in the video gaming community, Samsung will be a core sponsor of World Cyber Games (WCG) that will air in the first quarter of 2009 on the Sci Fi Channel.

WCG GameQuest, which is the working title of the event, is an 8-episode elimination-style reality competition. Twelve contestants will duke it out in a series of video game challenges in order to find the “Best All-Around Gamer” in the United States.

The series will feature top game titles from various studios and includes physical challenges that bring video games to life, as well as elimination challenges in an arena before hundreds of spectators.

Contests in the event will compete to win a prize package that includes $100,000 and trips to future World Cyber Games (WCG).

Samsung Electronics, which is the official worldwide partner for the World Cyber Games, is also the official series production partner.

“With two out of every three American households playing videogames, it’s clear that this mainstream phenomenon is a perfect arena for the Channel’s agenda of broadening the brand while celebrating imagination,” stated Dave Howe, Sci Fi Channel president. “The colorful and eclectic group of men and women competitors will simultaneously fit and completely shake up the ultimate gamer stereotype.  We are thrilled to be partnering with WCG and Samsung for this fun and engaging show.”

“Since 2000, the WCG has been at the forefront of e-sports and as we’ve grown to 78 countries represented and 1.5 million participants, we’ve seen that passion for gaming knows no geographic or demographic boundaries,” said H.S. Kim, WCG president. “Go to any WCG event or one of the many millions of gaming households across the globe and you’ll see the love and excitement that people share with their favorite titles. As gaming continues to be the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry, we are delighted that we can continue to lead this revolution and with Sci Fi, Granada and Samsung as partners, bring this show to viewers.”

In WCG GameQuest, contestants will be first tested in real life challenges based on a variety of games and then must master the actual video games themselves. Ultimately, contestants will be forced to rely on real world and virtual world skills like attentiveness, coordination, and endurance in order to avoid elimination. But similar to video gaming where the person with the most skills doesn’t always come out on top – for the winner of GameQuest, it may all come down to pure strategy and knowledge of other opponents’ weaknesses in order to outlast the competition.

“As a company that believes in the power of passion and imagination, we know that there is no place where this is more evident than in the WCG,” said Gregory Lee, Samsung Electronics chief marketing officer. “Samsung televisions, monitors, mobile devices and notebooks are fantastic platforms for video games and we’re pleased to extend our commitment to the WCG and partner with SCI FI and Granada to make this one-of-a-kind show a reality.”

“GameQuest will showcase the latest in consumer electronics and video games. Being a part of this ground-breaking series proves Samsung’s commitment to creating products this technology-savvy gamer audience craves. Samsung is focused on understanding what our consumers want, and then delivering it to them with leading technology and design to enhance their digital experience,” said Steven Cook, SVP and Chief Strategic Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics America. “We are confident that GameQuest will set an industry precedent for gaming reality competition and we look forward to seeing what the season has in store.”

WCG GameQuest is a format created by Michael Agbabian and Dwight D. Smith (“Phenomenon”, “Gameshow Marathon” and “Last Comic Standing”) who will executive produce.

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