Coming off a record breaking competition in Anaheim, CA, top pro players, aspiring amateurs, and thousands of video game fans will descend upon Raleigh, N.C., this weekend as the 2011 Major League Gaming (MLG) Pro Circuit returns to the Tar Heel state. From August 26-28, competitors from around the globe will battle for more than $120,000 in prizes and stipends playing some of the most popular video games of all time including the record-setting Call of Duty®: Black Ops on the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) entertainment system, Blizzard Entertainment’s blockbuster real-time strategy game, StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ on PC, and the popular Halo: Reach on Xbox 360. League of Legends, Riot Games’ debut title, will make its Pro Circuit debut in Raleigh with four of the best teams in North America - Epik Gaming, Curse Gaming, Team Solo Mid, and Counter Logic Gaming - competing for a chance at $20,000 in prizes.

On Friday, August 26 at 8:15pm ET, fans will have the exclusive opportunity to watch a Gears of War 3 expo match featuring Th3 Nsan3z, the 2008 Gears of War 1 Pro Circuit National Champions and 2009 Gears of War 2 Pro Circuit National Champions, vs. Team Epic. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to compete in a Mortal Kombat PlayStation® 3 tournament in the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation booths for a share of a $7,000 prize pool.

Fans can go online to purchase spectator passes, watch the event in real-time and become MLG league members to receive discounts on passes, as well as free 720p high quality, ad-free LIVE video streaming. The LIVE broadcast will be showcased via four streams - two streams for StarCraft®II: Wings of Liberty™, one for Call of Duty®: Black Ops and one for Halo: Reach.

The Raleigh competition is the fourth of a challenging, six-city US Pro Circuit tour that places the most talented players alongside their toughest opponents. More than $1 million will be awarded throughout the year making this the largest MLG season to date. The recent, record-breaking Anaheim Pro Circuit (July 29-31) drew more than 20,000 spectators and delivered more than 35 million online stream views.

The Players and Games

Call of Duty®: Black Ops on PlayStation 3 system
Hundreds of players will battle for a 1st place prize of $10,000 in gameplay modes Capture the Flag, Domination and Search and Destroy. With two first place wins in Dallas and Anaheim, Quantic LeveraGe will return to try to reclaim their title against #2 seeded team, OpTic Gaming and #3 seeded team, FeaR.

StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ on PC
Hundreds of players from around the world will compete in the StarCraft II tournament, including Korean players Bomber and Trickster, Code S players and teammates on StarTale. Both will make the trip to Raleigh through MLG’s exchange program with GOMTV's Global StarCraft II League (GSL), along with Code S players Nada and Coca. Other players to watch include EvilGeniuses’ Idra and Dignitas’ Naniwa.

Halo: Reach on Xbox 360
Hundreds of Halo: Reach players will compete during the three-day, double-elimination tournament for the 1st place prize of $20,000. Coming off 1stplace domination in Columbus and Anaheim, Instinct featuring Ogre 2, iGotUrPistola, Lunchbox, Roy will fight to continue their winning streak going up against Dallas winners and Anaheim 2nd place finishers Status Quo, and other top seeded teams Dynasty, Warriors and Str8 Rippin.

League of Legends, Riot Games
League of Legends will make its debut with teams Epik Gaming, Curse Gaming, Team Solo Mid, and Counter Logic Gaming competing for a chance at $20,000 in prizes. Matches will be streamed LIVE online and fans can watch Pool Play on Saturday, August 27 from 10:00am – 8:00pm ET and the Championship Finals on Sunday, August 28 from 10:00am – 1:45pm ET.

Gears of War 3, Epic Games
For the first time, Epic Games will showcase the upcoming Gears of War 3 in an expo match featuring highly anticipated multiplayer maps Thrashball and Trenches. On Friday, August 26 at 8:15pm ET, Th3 Nsan3z, the 2008 Gears of War 1 Pro Circuit National Champions and 2009 Gears of War 2 Pro Circuit National Champions, go up against Team Epic, including Donald White, Alex Connor, Richard Wilt, and Jonathan Taylor. Three full games will be commentated by Chris Puckett (MLG), Quinn DelHoyo (Epic Games) and Kendall ‘Arctic’ Smith, Epic Games consultant and Captain of GoW team Amayzn. Gears of War 3 launches worldwide on Sept. 20, 2011. The match will be streamed LIVE on the Halo: Reach stream online.

Mortal Kombat PlayStation®3 Tournament, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
In addition to the main stage titles, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Mortal Kombat PlayStation® 3 tournament in the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation booths for a share of a $7,000 prize pool. The eight players with the longest winning streaks during the open competition held on-site on Friday, August 26 from 3:00 – 10:00pm ET and Saturday, August 27 from 11:00am – 9:00pm ET, along with the top eight players from an online qualifier, will advance to compete in a single elimination bracket tournament beginning Sunday, August 28 at 12:00pm ET on the MLG booth stage. For eligibility, entry and prize information, see complete rules online.

The Experience
Thousands of spectators will view all of the action via three giant main stages with huge video screens and live commentating. Attendees can visit an array of booths featuring meet and greets with the Pros, the latest products from MLG partners, pre-release access to games and more. Booth highlights include:
· MLG Booth: Visit the MLG booth for an opportunity to meet MLG pro players and personalities, compete in the Black Ops FFA to win exclusive prizes, and participate in the MLG booth scavenger hunt to win cool prizes.
· Sony Ericsson, official mobile handset of MLG: Demo the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY onsite and experience new titles like Minecraft and N.O.V.A 2 for the first time at the Sony Ericsson booth. Compete in mobile gaming competitions for a chance to win great prizes like your very own Xperia™ PLAY.
· Dr Pepper, official soft drink of MLG: Stop by for play-a-Pro sessions, signings, Text-to-Win promotions with an array of prizing, and a chance to meet the new Dr Pepper Girls.
· BIC® Flex4® Razors, official razor of MLG: Play Halo: Reach in the BIC® Flex4® Live FFA (free-for-all or individual) competition. One winner will be flown to the National Championships to compete for $4,000. Plus, participate in a text-2-win promotion for a chance to win cool gaming gear like an ASTRO A40 Audio System.
· PlayStation®, official partner of MLG: Play Resistance® 3 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception™ before you can buy it at the PlayStation Compound. Experience the PlayStation® Move Sharp Shooter attachment, stereoscopic 3D gaming and compete with friends for amazing prizes.
· STRIDE, official gum of MLG: Participate in unique challenges throughout the weekend and receive Pro Player autographs.
· Alienware, the official desktop of MLG: Experience the most powerful desktops available at Alienware gaming stations throughout the venue.
· ASTRO, the official headset of MLG: Check out and buy the latest gear - the A40 2011 and A30 pro gaming headsets.
· Parrot AR.Drone, official Augmented Reality Gaming Toy of MLG:Race these flying quadricopters in an obstacle course against MLG pro players for a chance to win a FREE AR.Drone, test flight skills in the AR.Drone cage, and grab free swag all weekend.
· Army National Guard: Meet Tim Kennedy—professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and National Guard Special Forces Sergeant, test strength in a push-up competition and participate in a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare competition with a chance to win great prizes. Additionally, visitors can see themselves in a National Guard uniform and view a pre-release version of a brand new augmented reality helicopter rescue game.
· Mad Catz: For the first time, check out the soon to be released MLG controller and MLG fight stick for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
· CALIBUR 11: Try out and purchase the MLG Vault for Xbox360 –an external case for Xbox 360 slim hardware.

Army National Guard and MLG are also offering a military discount. Spectators can show a valid military ID to receive a reduced rate for passes. Additionally, in advance of the event, Raleigh area Play N Trade stores are offering free spectator passes with the purchase of NOS®, the official energy drink of MLG.

Upcoming Pro Circuit Stops
Following the Raleigh competition, the 2011 Pro Circuit continues in Orlando, FL (October 14-16) and culminates with the national championship in Providence, RI, this fall (November 18-20).