Microsoft Taps IGN as Official Media Partner for Halo Fest

SAN FRANCISCO, July 28,2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IGN Entertainment, the world's leading video games media company, has been selected by Microsoft as the official media partner for the first-ever Halo Fest, the expansive Halo event commemorating ten years of the blockbuster franchise, which will take place during PAX Prime 2011, August 26-28th in Seattle.

As Halo Fest's official media partner, IGN will deliver fans unparalleled, extensive Halo coverage leading up to, during and following the first-of-its kind event through a dedicated IGN Halo Fest mini-site: http://go.ign.com/halofest2011.

IGN's coverage of Halo Fest will include extensive video coverage of select Halo Fest tournaments and events – including live webcasts of select Halo Fest panels – as well as teaser articles, behind-the-scenes studio access, VIP interviews, contests and much more.  Leading up to Halo Fest, IGN will feature detailed schedules for panels, tournaments and challenges in the Hopper area, and a sneak peak at some of the exclusives of Halo Fest – both giveaways and special appearances.

"The 10 year anniversary of the Halo franchise is an important milestone for us, our fans and the industry," said Frank O'Connor, Franchise Director for Halo at 343 Industries. "IGN's commitment to quality content for their readers and their awesome footprint in the industry make them a perfect fit to partner with on Halo Fest, letting us share the experience with so many fans out there that couldn't make it in person."

"We are thrilled to be working with Microsoft to bring the most in-depth coverage of Halo Fest to millions of rabid fans," said Tal Blevins, VP of Games Content for IGN Entertainment. "We're excited to help Microsoft celebrate the indelible mark the Halo franchise has left on pop culture over the past 10 years!"

In addition, running now through August 1, there are three contests through which fans can submit a piece of artwork, a video or a photograph of their own creation that commemorates the impact of Halo – in exchange for prizes including a walk-on voice acting role in a Red vs. Blue Rooster Teeth production, Acme Archives art-quality prints of their submissions and much more.  IGN will sweeten the pot by offering the top five finalists in the forge art and machinima film contests 3-day badges for PAX Prime. For a chance to win, fans can visit https://apps.facebook.com/halofest/.  Voting runs August 1-8, and the top 5 will be contacted by August 11. Winners will be announced at Halo Fest on August 25.

About IGN Entertainment

IGN Entertainment is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets.  Collectively, IGN's properties reached more than 70 million unique users worldwide in February 2011, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore.  IGN's network of video game-related properties (IGN.com, 1UP.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox and others) is the Web's #1 video game information destination.  IGN also owns the world's largest men's lifestyle website, AskMen.com, and men's entertainment site UGO.com. It also provides technology for online game play in video games. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia. 

About "Halo"

The "Halo" franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original "Halo: Combat Evolved" (2001), the critically acclaimed and record-shattering series of games has since inspired multiple New York Times bestselling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more.

Published by Microsoft Studios, the "Halo" franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. To date, more than 40 million copies of "Halo" games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 3.3 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE.

SOURCE IGN Entertainment, Inc.