Late Night Gets a New Game; Midnight Gaming Championship Arrives at Local McDonald's®

Business Wire, Sept 20, 2006

DALLAS -- Video gaming is a booming business. According to the NPD Group, consumer spending on PC games alone reached $1.5 billion in 2005, while online subscriptions to PC gaming and gaming web sites accounted for $344 million. McDonald's restaurants are joining in the action with the launch of the first ever Midnight Gaming Championship, a gaming competition occurring at McDonald's restaurants across the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Produced by Video Gamers League, Midnight Gaming Championship competitions will occur from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. every Saturday beginning September 23, 2006 and run through mid-November, culminating with the championship on Saturday, November 18.

Each week, players can register online at http://www.midnightgamingchampionship.com for a chance to play in one of three different gaming tournaments each Saturday night. The games featured in each competition are NCAA Football '07, Guitar Hero and Tekken 5. Players will compete each week in a single elimination format until one winner is declared for each of the games. Winners of each game's tournament will receive prizes including cash; $125 Best Buy gift card; one year three out membership plan to GameZnFlix; $50 McDonald's Arch Card(R) and many other prizes. Grand Prize winners will receive a generous package including a $1,000 Best Buy gift card, an Xbox 360, Sony PSP and other prizes. The Guitar Hero champion will receive a one of a kind autographed guitar from the Guitar Hero development team.

"We want to give our customers a chance to try out their gaming skills, while reminding them that McDonald's is open early and open late, some 24 hours," said Jerome Elenez, McDonald's Dallas-area marketing director. "The Midnight Gaming Championship is another opportunity to reach out to our customers and give them more of what they want: great food when they want it, and some fierce competition for cash and prizes."

"We are pleased that McDonald's and so many others are bringing Midnight Gaming Championship to gaming fans in the area," said Jeff Gross, president, Video Gamers League. "These events are a great way to bring together two of America's favorite things: video games and McDonald's."

About Midnight Gaming Championship

The first-ever Midnight Gaming Championship, sponsored by McDonald's, is produced by Video Gamers League, the premier console gaming league in the United States. Contributing sponsors include Time Warner Cable; G4 television network; K104, Dallas' #1 radio station; and Punchbutton video gaming blog. Also, GameZnFlix (OCTBB:GZFX), at-home DVD and video game provider; I-play mobile entertainment; Best Buy Corporation; Red Octane, provider of interactive entertainment software, hardware and accessories and Coca-Cola. Visit http://www.midnightgamingchampionship.com for event details or text "L8NITE" to 37438 for tournament information and a free mobile game demo.

(C) 2006 McDonald's