The countdown to the most coveted prize in sports video games begins today, as Electronic Arts announced the dates and locations for the 2005 EA SPORTSâ„¢ Madden Challenge Tournament, the only official nationwide EA SPORTS sanctioned tournament to crown the best player of America’s top-selling football video game franchise with players competing for the first time using the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft.

Tournament play begins with Regional Tournaments hosted in various U.S. cities. The individual winners from each city will advance to the Finals in Honolulu, Hawaii on Feb. 10, 2006 and the ultimate 2005 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Finals winner will collect $100,000. Last year, more than 16,800 competitors battled across the nation to determine the best Madden NFL Football player. Eugene “Big Gene” Williams from Washington, D.C., took home the $50,000 grand prize at the Las Vegas finals.

The 2005 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge, sponsored by Best Buy and Xbox, will test the football skills of thousands of gamers on the critically acclaimed Madden NFL 06, celebrating its 16th year as the most authentic gridiron game — now with an exclusive NFL and PLAYERS INC license. There are two Madden Challenge divisions this year: Rookie Division for the casual Madden player, and the Professional Division for experienced players. The Rookie Division will feature the inaugural Rookie Challenge with a 64-person bracket in each city.

    Saturday, Aug. 27      Las Vegas        ESPN Zone

    Sunday, Aug. 28        Phoenix          Arrowhead Town Center

    Friday, Sept. 2        Denver           INVESCO Field at Mile High

    Sunday, Sept. 4        Kansas City      Westport District

    Saturday, Sept. 10     Buffalo          Walden Galleria

    Sunday, Sept. 11       Boston           Prudential Center

    Friday, Sept. 16       New York         Chelsea Piers

    Saturday, Sept. 17     New York         Chelsea Piers

    Sunday, Sept. 18       Philadelphia     King of Prussia Mall

    Saturday, Sept. 24     Washington, D.C. Union Station

    Sunday, Sept. 25       Baltimore        McKeldin Square

    Saturday, Oct. 1       Pittsburgh       Heinz Field

    Sunday, Oct. 2         Cleveland        Tower City Center

    Saturday, Oct. 8       Detroit          Great Lakes Crossing

    Sunday, Oct. 9         Chicago          Navy Pier

    Saturday, Oct. 15      Green Bay        Lambeau Field Atrium

    Sunday, Oct. 16        Minneapolis      Mall of America

    Saturday, Oct. 22      Indianapolis     Castleton Square

    Sunday, Oct. 23        Cincinnati       Newport on the Levee

    Saturday, Oct. 29      St. Louis        St. Louis Mills

    Sunday, Oct. 30        Nashville        Opry Mills

    Saturday, Nov. 5       Charlotte        Concord Mills

    Sunday, Nov. 6         Jacksonville     Jacksonville Landing

    Saturday, Nov. 12      Tampa            Raymond James Stadium

    Sunday, Nov. 13        Miami            Shops at Sunset Place

    Saturday, Nov. 19      Atlanta          Discover Mills

    Sunday, Nov. 20        New Orleans      The Esplanade

    Saturday, Nov. 26      Houston          Houston Galleria

    Sunday, Nov. 27        Dallas           Valley View Center

    Saturday, Dec. 3       San Diego        Mission Valley

    Sunday, Dec. 4         Los Angeles      Hollywood & Highland
    Friday, Dec. 9         San Francisco    Metreon
    Sunday, Dec. 11        Seattle          Qwest Field

Friday, February 10th, 2006, (Finals) Honolulu, Hawaii

For 2005 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Tournament information, including Tournament Official Rules and online registration, players can go to the official EA SPORTS Madden Challenge website at http://www.maddenchallenge.com. General online registration for each city is now open. Registration is $10 per person. Void where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. Competitors will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-in, on-site tournament registration will be accepted on the day of each city’s competition as space permits. This year’s Madden Challenge will be played exclusively on the Xbox.

Madden NFL 06, available in stores now, revolutionizes the passing game this year with QB Vision Control and QB Precision Placement for true quarterback control and the most authentic passing experience. All-new features for real NFL gameplay include smart routes, formation-specific audibles, defensive keys and blocking assignments. In the franchise’s 15 year history, Madden NFL has sold more than 43 million copies. Madden NFL 06 is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for videogame systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSâ„¢, EAâ„¢, EA SPORTS BIGâ„¢ and POGOâ„¢. In fiscal 2005, EA posted revenues of $3.1 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is http://www.ea.com.

Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. The mark “John Madden” and the name of John Madden are trademarks or other intellectual property of Red Bear, Inc. or John Madden, are subject to license to Electronic Arts Inc., and may not be otherwise used in whole or in part without the prior written consent of Red Bear or John Madden. NFL Team names/logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. http://www.nflplayers.com. Microsoft and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Filed under: Tournaments

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