Blip Studios and Rooster Teeth Premiere Reality Gamer Competition Series THE GAUNTLET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Blip Studios, the production arm of digital media company Blip, and Rooster Teeth Productions, announced today an original new web series, The Gauntlet. Serious gamers and gaming super-fans from around the country compete in an epic video game competition that pits competitors against one another in an intense contest of gaming skills, concentration, agility and stamina. Inspired by reality competitions Wipeout and The Voice, The Gauntlet brings that passion for winning and chance for fame and fortune to the world of gaming.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121031/SF02360LOGO)

Take a peek at The Gauntlet here [http://blip.tv/the-gauntlet]

As Blip Studios' first foray into original branded entertainment, the 10-episode reality gamer competition series premieres on November 1, 2012 at Blip.com and RoosterTeeth.com. Working with Rooster Teeth Productions and GEICO, this reality competition is only for gamers and only online for everyone to watch.

The four teams are made up of gamers from across the country of varying skill levels and personalities. Competitors are then eliminated each week based on their performance in a wide array of game play, ranging from classic arcade titles to the latest next-gen shooters, as well as real-life challenges based on video games such as Halo's capture-the-flag or a Minecraft building competition. Each team will be coached by a Rooster Teeth personality who is deep in the game; as teams are eliminated, the coaches will take to the sidelines as commentators for the rest of the competition. 

The first episode of The Gauntlet captures the auditions of those hard-core gamers who want to get in this game. Hosted by Rooster Teeth gaming maven Ali Baker (formerly of Major League Gaming and G-4's X-Play), these players compete to win at every gaming challenge imaginable and at the end of each episode take on The Gauntlet, an intense final challenge that allows players to redeem themselves after a poor showing in the previous round.

To take the viewer experience to the next level, Blip Studios and Rooster Teeth added an interactive element to each episode where multiple pieces of bonus content can be unlocked in the Blip player. This content includes bonus clips, exit interviews and outtakes that didn't make it into the final show and can be easily shared or commented on by viewers.

Similar to the Iron Chef format, The Gauntlet has a fine Chairman in web series creator and head writer (Red vs. Blue) Burnie Burns who will explain the challenges, comment on game play and drop The Gauntlet at the end of each episode. Burnie is the lucky guy who gets to deliver the $10K in cold, hard cash to The Gauntlet grand champion and offer them a guest appearance on the Rooster Teeth Podcast to crow about being the baddest gamer alive.

"The Gauntlet is a mash-up of reality, competition and gaming that has never been seen before in a web series, much less on linear TV," said Blip Studios president Steve Woolf. "Working with Rooster Teeth to produce and GEICO to fund this ambitious endeavor allowed us to make something complex and entertaining that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike."

"Engaging the online community around an original web series like The Gauntlet that offers an interactive and entertaining experience for viewers is very much in line with GEICO's mission of offering relevant and inventive content," said Andrew Kauz, community and social media manager for GEICO.

"The Gauntlet is one of Rooster Teeth's most ambitious projects ever and we're excited to partner with Blip Studios and GEICO," said Rooster Teeth CEO Matt Hullum. "Everyone involved in this project is going to bring something unique that will make this a truly memorable and exciting competitive gaming experience."

About Blip Studios:

Blip Studios is a multiplatform digital studio producing exclusive original series and premium branded content for the Blip network and across the web. The studio is the production arm of parent company Blip, the largest independently owned and operated digital video platform in the world that attracts hundreds of millions of views per month. Check it out at http://studios.blip.com.

About Geico:

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for more than 11 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 18 million vehicles (auto & cycle). In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for boats, collector cars, life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available. As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.

About Rooster Teeth:

Rooster Teeth are the creators of one of the most popular and longest running web series of all-time, Red vs. Blue, now completing its tenth season. The Rooster Teeth YouTube channel is the 8th most viewed YouTube channel in the world (non-music) in 2011 with 2.2 million YouTube subscribers. The Rooster Teeth site has 5 million monthly unique visitors and 1.4 million registered community members. Winners of multiple awards, including the 2011 Best Animated Series from the IAWTV. Featured by hundreds of major publications and networks including MTV, G4, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone Magazine, Wired Magazine, and many more.

CONTACT: Bronagh Hanley, 415-314-7262, [email protected]

SOURCE Blip Studios