Chicago Takes Center Stage as the Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine Hits Town on May 14

NEW YORK, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspiring professional video gamers from the Midwest and across the country will now have the opportunity to make their dreams a reality at the Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine on May 14-16 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill.  Following a highly successful debut in Nashville, Tenn., Chicago marks the second stop on a four-city tour of the first-ever nationwide skills challenge in competitive video gaming history.

Key MLG Pros from the Chicago area scheduled to attend include some of the biggest talent in the league:

• Anthony "Totz" Pennacchio of Bloomingdale, Ill.; the newest member of the storied MLG Pro Circuit team franchise, Triggers Down.
• Twin brothers, Justin "Roy" Brown and Jason "Lunchbox" Brown of Urbana, Ill., members of Instinct, the winning team at the recent Pro Circuit tournament kickoff event in Orlando, Fla.
• Justin "FearItSelf" Katz of Lansing, Mich., member of team Final Boss that finished in third place at the recent Pro Circuit tournament kickoff event in Orlando, Fla.
• Eric "Snipedown" Wrona of Carmel, Ind., member of the 2008 National Champion team Str8 Rippin.

Predicted to be a highly competitive event based on the deep talent pool from the Midwest, the eight winners from the Chicago Combine will advance to play at the next Pro Circuit event in Columbus, Ohio. Eight of the amateur winners from the Nashville Combine placed in the top 32 at the following Pro Circuit event held in Orlando, demonstrating the strength of the up-and-coming talent pool the Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine is attracting.

Players can visit www.doritoscombine.com daily for information about where they can hone their skills online and get a first-hand taste of the level of competition they will see in person at the Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine. More than 1,000 individual players and close to 200 teams of four competing in the 4X4 bracket have filled the playing field to date. Individuals competing in the Free For All (FFA) can sign up in-person on the first day of the event.

Spectators can attend free of charge to cheer on their friends and family members, or they can sign up to compete in one-off competitions against other spectators, and meet many of MLG's Pros and personalities in person.  

MLG Pros and personalities will be holding two "Q&A" sessions on Friday, May 14 beginning at 8:30 p.m., as well as four strategy seminars on Saturday, May 15 led by MLG Pros with topics including "Teamwork and Communication," "Control" and "Tournament Play." Full details about the event are available at www.doritoscombine.com, including specifics about the Combine format and other upcoming events.

Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine

At each three-day Combine, more than 400 players will be selected and evaluated by MLG in key areas including: communication, accuracy, decision making and situational performance.

A total of eight Combine winners will be chosen, which will consist of the top four-person team and four individual players. Each winner will receive:

• $500 in prize money.
• Round Trip Airfare ($500 limit) to the upcoming Pro Circuit Competition and a three night stay in the Pro Circuit Competition Hotel booked by Major League Gaming. MLG will have the option of either booking the airfare for winner or providing winner with a $500 airfare stipend (or cash) at the upcoming Pro Circuit Competition.
• An invitation to compete for Pro Status in the Finals Event.
• Round Trip Airfare ($500 Limit) to the Pro Circuit National Championship Competition and a three night stay in the Pro Circuit National Championship Competition Hotel booked by Major League Gaming (provided that winner maintains his or her eligibility status for the Finals Event).
• Free Entry into the upcoming Halo 3 Pro Circuit Event and the opportunity to purchase a Reserved Team Pass for that Event.
• A profile page on the Doritos Pro-Gaming Combine website.
• The ability to play on a Feature Station, at the upcoming Pro Circuit Competition, dedicated to Matches featuring Combine Winners.

The series of nationwide Combine competitions will culminate with a Finals Event, where four players will receive MLG Pro status.  

The Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine is a first-of-its-kind initiative, bringing together thousands of amateurs with MLG Pros and League officials across America.  The partnership provides aspiring gamers with a rigorous testing ground that showcases their skills and an opportunity to further gain exposure through MLG's thriving community of players.  

ABOUT FRITO-LAY

Doritos tortilla chips is one of the many brand that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY.  In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.  Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries.  With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose.  By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING

Founded in 2002, Major League Gaming (MLG) is the dominant media property exclusively targeting the approximately 40 million consumers in North America who have a passion for playing video games as a competitive social activity. The company exclusively represents the best professional gamers and gives millions of aspiring gamers around the world an opportunity to compete, improve their skills, and socialize through our thriving online competitive community and live Pro Circuit competitions. For more information: www.mlgpro.com.

SOURCE Major League Gaming