The Walking Dead Escape: Philadelphia East Coast Debut is on April 21, 2013 at the Wells Fargo Center Complex

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The zombie virus continues to spread as Ruckus Sports and Skybound, in conjunction with Live Nation, announce Philadelphia as the next city to fall in the gruesomely realistic The Walking Dead Escape obstacle course series. The event allows fans of Robert Kirkman's Eisner Award-winning comic book series and graphic novels to live out the events in the pages of the groundbreaking series. Taking place on Sunday, April 21st, at the Wells Fargo Center Complex in Philadelphia, fans can choose between three ways to take part in this epic adventure: Participants can choose to be a Survivor, and race through the zombie infested evacuation zone or participants can choose to be a Walker, who embraces the inevitable and surrenders to the undead horde, or participants can be a Spectator, who watches the apocalypse from sidelines at the Escape Party.

Tickets for this event are available now through TheWalkingDeadEscape.com.

On the heels of a wildly successful event in San Diego last summer during Comic-Con, The Walking Dead Escape: Philadelphia is unlike any obstacle course event in the nation. Expanding on the best-selling The Walking Dead comic book series and graphic novel storylines, the Escape allows Survivors and Walkers to explore the initial days of the apocalypse.

"Thousands of The Walking Dead fans participated in San Diego and we promised that it wasn't going to stop there," said Liam Brenner, founder Ruckus Sports. "Now the people of Philadelphia are going to have their chance participate as we transform the Wells Fargo Center Complex into the early days of society's collapse." 

Survivors will climb, crawl and slide in an effort to avoid confrontation by hordes of Walkers while achieving the ultimate adventure on The Walking Dead-themed obstacle course. The Walking Dead Escape is not a race and Survivors are not timed, but the end is near and they must move swiftly. If they're lucky, Survivors will reach the decontamination zone where their level of infection - if any - will be determined by a confidential military scan. Walkers will be transformed into the undead by professional makeup teams and released on the course to haunt the living. New for the Philadelphia Escape is the "Survivor Showdown" where Survivors have the chance to compete for $2,500 in prizes.

The choice is yours. Whether you run, walk, or watch, The Walking Dead fans will have a front row seat to the real-life action event of a lifetime. Early registration is strongly recommended, as walk-ups may not be available on event day. 

For more information or to register for the event, please visit www.thewalkingdeadescape.com. To view video and photos from last summer's event in San Diego go to https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkingDeadEscape. To receive updates about the Zombie Apocalypse, be sure to follow @TDWEscape on Twitter!

About Live Nation:
Live Nation Entertainment is the world's leading live entertainment and ecommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network.  Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of the world's top five ecommerce sites, with almost 27 million monthly unique visitors.  Live Nation Concerts produces over 22,000 shows annually for more than 2,300 artists globally.  Front Line is the world's top artist management company, representing over 250 artists.  These businesses power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment marketing solutions, enabling nearly 800 advertisers to tap into the 200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live event and digital platforms. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.  

About Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman's success and passionate advocacy for creator-owned comics led him to become the first person invited to become a partner at Image Comics since the company's inception twenty years ago. Kirkman is the creator/writer of the Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, The Astounding Wolf-Man and Thief of Thieves. In 2010, Kirkman formed his own Image imprint, Skybound, which publishes his own work and Witch Doctor, Guarding the Globe and Clone.  Kirkman has earned the respect of the comic, writing and television communities and topped the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels in 2011 and 2012. In April 2012, he took the top five spots on both the hardcover and paperback lists. He's the creator/executive producer and writer of the hit Emmy®-winning television show, AMC's The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 122 countries and 37 languages. AMC is developing Thief of Thieves as a potential series with Kirkman serving as creator/executive producer and writer. Your destination for all news and merchandise from Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles is www.Skybound.com.

About Skybound
Skybound is the home of   Robert Kirkman's creator-owned work including his Eisner Award-winning comic book series, The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, Thief of Thieves and Clone as well as Witch Doctor, Guarding the Globe and The Astounding Wolf-Man. Since its inception, Skybound has created television shows, merchandise and a wide spectrum of platforms, games and entertainment events (The Walking Dead Escape). Skybound's successes include the comic behind the hit Emmy®-winning television show, AMC's The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 122 countries and 37 languages. AMC is developing Thief of Thieves as a potential series. Skybound/Kirkman frequently top the hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. Your destination for all news and merchandise from Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles is www.Skybound.com.

About Ruckus Sports, LLC
Ruckus Sport, LLC, an innovator in mass-participatory events, creates the most compelling, exhilarating outdoor events available for a wide range of people.  Beginning in 2010 with its signature event, The Ruckus Challenge, and now reaching multiple markets across the country, thousands of participants from 2 to 72 have completed our premier obstacle races. As the creator and producer of The Walking Dead Escape, Ruckus continues to demonstrate that extraordinary mass-participatory events can take many forms and appeal to a variety of audiences.

SOURCE Ruckus Sports, LLC