Team USA Named for World Cyber Games Grand Final in Singapore; 16 Champions Crowned at US Final, 40,000 Attempted to Qualify

    NEW YORK, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixteen gamers remain from a pool of
 40,000 after the last rounds of the World Cyber Games US Final was completed
 at the Hammerstein Ballroom over the weekend. They will now represent the
 United States at the World Cyber Games Grand Final in Singapore from November
 16-20th. In Singapore, 800 of the world's best video gamers from 70 countries
 will clash for $430,000 in prizes, medals and national honor in eight game
 events.
     More than 40,000 gamers attempted to qualify at 120 game centers and
 through online tournaments since May. After regional playoffs in July and
 August, 184 of the countries elite reached the US Final and only 16 remain.
     "The spectator excitement combined with a high level of competition this
 past weekend here in New York signals that the era of e-Sports is beginning to
 mature here in the US, as it already has elsewhere in the world," said Hank
 Jeong, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, the global organizer of the World
 Cyber Games. "We have always been the biggest tournament in the world, and it
 is here that pro-gamers get their start. We are now seeing the kinds of
 corporate sponsorships necessary to back these players so they can train and
 compete at the highest level worldwide."
     There was no shortage of thrilling e-Sports drama during the US Final,
 which saw defending CounterStrike gold medal winners, Team 3D, outlast a tough
 field to secure a slot at the big show this November, and two time defending
 World Cyber Games Halo champion Matt "Zyos" Leto defeated in the semifinals by
 twin brothers Dan and Tom Ryan, known as "The Ogre Twins," who breezed through
 the final to stamp their ticket to Singapore.
 
     The full members of Team USA going to Singapore are:
 
     HALO 2 (Xbox):
     Dan Ryan, 19, (Pickerington, OH)
     Tom Ryan, 19, (Pickerington, OH)
 
     STARCRAFT: Broodwar (PC):
     Sean Plott, 19, (Leawood, KS)
     Sherwin Mahbod, 19, (San Francisco, CA)
 
     DEAD OR ALIVE ULTIMATE (Xbox):
     James Clifford, 21, (Jefferson Township, NJ)
 
     COUNTERSTRIKE (PC):
     Michael So, 21, (Northridge, CA)
     Kyle Miller, 21, (Washington DC)
     Ronald Kim, 21, (Dallas, TX)
     Salvatore Garozzo, 18, (Eastchester, NY)
     Josh Sievers, 21, (Polk City, IA)
 
     WARCRAFT 3 (PC):
     Dennis Chan, 22, (Sunset Beach, CA)
     Jeff Bliss, 16, (Atherton, CA)
     Matthew Anderson, 19, (Lexington, SC)
 
     NEED FOR SPEED (PC):
     Kamran Siddiqui, 20, (Orlando, FL)
 
     FIFA SOCCER 2005 (PC):
     Matija Biljeskovic, 21, (Rockford, IL)
 
     WARHAMMER 40,000 (PC):
     Matthew Proctor, 20, (Dallas, TX)
 
     Over $2.5 million in cash and prizes will be distributed on a worldwide
 basis between an estimated 1 million gamers participating in World Cyber Games
 events.
 
     Samsung has been a global sponsor of the World Cyber Games since
 2000.Samsung, Intel, Shuttle and Razer sponsored the World Cyber Games US
 Final.
 
     ***INTERVIEWS WITH PLAYERS AND PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST***
 
     About World Cyber Games
     South Korea-based International Cyber Marketing
 (http://www.worldcybergames.com) is the global organizer of the World Cyber
 Games, the world's largest computer and video game festival, and is
 responsible for all World Cyber Games interactive game tournaments to be held
 in about 70 countries this year. This year the winners of each national event
 series will compete for the world championship title and prizes worth more
 than $400,000. Last year's World Cyber Games Grand Final was held in San
 Francisco, CA with more than 642 gamers from 59 countries, attracting major
 media such as The New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco
 Chronicle, CNN, Associated Press, Reuters, ABC, NBC, CBS, and many more.
 
 

SOURCE  World Cyber Games