REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 7, 2001 — Today on Microsoft Corp.’s campus, 16 champion gaming athletes from around the globe gathered for the
“Age of Empires® II: The Conquerors Expansion”
International Tournament, one of the world’s most popular online-based tournaments. The finalists celebrated a passion for strategic gameplay while contending for prizes totaling almost $100,000. Byung Geon Kang from South Korea outplayed opponents from around the globe to stake his claim as the best
“Age of Empires II”
player in the world.
“‘Age of Empires’ II is recognized as one of the leading multiplayer games in the world,”
said Stuart Moulder, general manager of PC Games at Microsoft Game Studios.
“This tournament allows players from different cultures to come together with a sense of community that transcends geographical borders and highlights the worldwide popularity of real-time strategy games. We were very pleased to watch so many incredible players competing for the $50,000 grand prize.”
Qualifying sessions were conducted worldwide for three months, with half the participating countries — including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany — holding preliminary rounds on Microsoft’s Zone.com online gaming service ( http://www.zone.com/ ). Developed by Ensemble Studios Inc.,
“Age of Empires”
is one of the most popular computer game franchises ever, with worldwide licensed sales of more than 9 million units. The series has received numerous awards, including the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’
“Strategy Game of the Year”
awards for
“Age of Empires,” “Age of Empires II: Age of Kings”
and
“Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion.”
“Age of Empires II: Gold Edition”
combines the exciting gameplay of
“Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings™ ”
and
“Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion”
and includes new content and helpful strategies.
“Age of Empires II: Gold Edition”
is available now at major retailers for an estimated retail price of $54.95 (actual retail prices may vary). Additional information on the
“Age of Empires”
series is available at http://www.ageofempires.com .
About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft’s Game Studios is a leading worldwide games company with three core businesses: games development and publishing, the Microsoft® Xbox™
video game system, and Zone.com. Zone.com ( http://www.zone.com/ ) is the Internet’s largest game site.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Age of Empires, The Age of Kings and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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