Major League Gaming Acquires Console Game Tournament Leader GameBattles.com

NEW YORK, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Major League Gaming (MLG), the first professional video game league, today announced that it has acquired GameBattles.com, the world's leading online console tournament community.

GameBattles supports the X-Box, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, with more than 700,000 different teams competing in tournament ladders across 40 game titles. The GameBattles.com community numbers over 460,000 registered users and the site sees over 30 million page views per day. GameBattles's superior technology and passionate community are a great complement to MLG's existing online community and unparalleled live competitions. Chip Kellam, GameBattles.com founder, joins Major League Gaming as its VP of Technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Matthew Bromberg, president and COO of MLG, said that "Major League Gaming is already the largest community of competitive console gamers and fans in the world. GameBattles.com is a natural addition to the company, and allows us to accelerate our plans to provide a home for online competition to every player on every platform."

"MLG represents the mainstream future of competitive video gaming," said Chip Kellam, founder of GameBattles.com. "I look forward to joining forces with a team I've respected for several years, and working together to share the excitement of this fast-growing sport with an expanding global community of players and fans."

This has been a breakout year for MLG, with record-breaking attendance at its live competitions; a deal to air its entire 7-city Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit on USA Network beginning November 11 at 10am; sponsor partnerships with premier, mass market companies; and team and individual player deals that have made professional video gaming a reality.

Revamped mlgpro.com Debuts with Robust Broadband Business Capabilities

MLG also announced today the details behind its recently unveiled, totally revamped website, which serves as the hub of its cross-platform media business. As the world's first completely digital sport, MLG's broadband business is a significant part of the company's media efforts. MLGpro.com features expanded rich video content, video-on-demand of live competitions, enhanced community features, and expanded online tournament capabilities.

ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING

MLG is the first professional video game league. By raising video game competition to the level of professional sport, the company is creating a sports media business that provides players, developers, publishers, media partners, and advertisers a unique connection to the video game lifestyle enjoyed by 168 million Americans. With the support of major sponsors, MLG operates a pro tour that in 2006 will make 7 stops in major cities across the U.S., exclusively featuring the best gamers in the world. We produce a variety of online and broadcast-quality programming that showcases MLG's pros and this exciting new sports entertainment phenomenon. More information can be found at http://www.mlgpro.com/.