World Cyber Games and Blizzard team up
by Kit

Tuesday, June 1 2004

WGG gains channel on Blizzard's Battle.net.

The World Cyber Games Committee (WCGC) (Co-chairmen of the WCG committee: Chang Dong Lee, the Minister of Ministry of Culture & Tourism in Korea and Jong Yong Yun, Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.) have announced that the organization has signed an agreement with Blizzard Entertainment based in the U.S.A. for an exclusive channel on the Battle.net server.

The agreement states that Blizzard will provide a Battle.net channel to be used exclusively for the online preliminaries of StarCraft: Brood War and Warcraft III : The Frozen Throne both official games of the WCG 2004.

According to the terms of the agreement, all the WCG 2004 participating countries will be able to hold online preliminaries on the WCG exclusive channel established on the Battle.net server from May to December in 2004. Also, the WCG has been offered premium online banner space on the Battle.net game network as well as on www.battle.net . Due to the fact that Blizzard is providing an exclusive Battle.net channel for this year’s WCG, many of the WCG participating countries are expected to hold online preliminaries for StarCraft: Brood War and Warcraft III : The Frozen Throne.

“To compete online beyond the limitation of time and space is ‘e-sports’ in the truest sense.”, said Heung-Seop Jeong, CEO of ICM Inc, the organizer of WCG. He has estimated Blizzard’s support will help the WCG take a further step toward becoming a global festival of gamers. And he added, “As it becomes easier to participate in the WCG preliminaries, I expect more StarCraft: Brood War and Warcraft III : The Frozen Throne gamers all over the world will participate in the WCG this year.”

In the 4th WCG event this year, a total of over 1,000,000 gamers is anticipated to participate in the WCG national qualifications in 62 countries. After intense regional qualifying rounds in each participating country, about 700 players will compete their skills in the honor of their countries in the WCG 2004 Grand Final, that will be held in the San Francisco, USA from 6th to 10th in the coming October.

--- Kit