Schiphol-Rijk, 8 november 2005 - The internet has been buzzing with rumours about Origen since those white rabbits, Boss and Didier, hopped into our lives at
www.origenxbox360.com on 27 September. So what exactly is the promised Gamers' Paradise and when will it take place?
Microsoft today revealed that Gamers' Paradise is a massive two-day party, in an undisclosed location in the Mojave desert, in the United States. Gamers from around the world will gather there together to celebrate the launch of the next-generation-defining video game and entertainment system, Xbox 360. The huge event will feature hundreds of gaming stations, live entertainment and around-the-clock gaming at a venue immersed in the Xbox 360 experience. It begins on 20 November when the sun sets on the desert horizon and ends at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, 22 November - the official launch date for Xbox 360 in North America.
Among the thousands of partygoers will be the winners of a series of competitions hosted on www.origenxbox360.com. The winners from around Europe will be flown to the US where they will receive rock-star VIP treatment including a trip in a private jet from Santa Monica airport directly to the event.
"Xbox 360: Zero Hour" will also host thousands of other gamers from around the world including those who are invited to make the pilgrimage to the Mojave Desert and witness the dawning of the next generation of gaming.
"Xbox 360: Zero Hour" is expected to be a true gaming paradise with hundreds of Xbox 360 gaming stations featuring high-definition monitors and digital sound. All that attend will get the chance to play the full Xbox 360 launch line-up along with other highly anticipated games that will ship this year and into 2006 from 2K Games, 2K Sports, Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, Namco, Sega, Square-Enix, Tecmo, THQ, and Ubisoft. Among other gaming highlights, attendees will be the first ever to play a 32-player match of "Perfect Dark Zero" over Xbox Live, have access to the full Xbox Live Arcade line-up and witness demonstrations and sneak peeks of hotly-anticipated non-titles including live game play of "Gears of War".
In addition to gaming nirvana, attendees will enjoy live entertainment and music, including a "Kaiju Big Battel" (www.kaiju.com) and a musical performance by raucous rock band from Southern California, "Louis XIV.".
Attendees will also receive exclusive event give-aways such as "Zero Hour" Xbox 360 console faceplates.
"Our goal with the party is to reward the gamer by creating the ultimate Xbox 360 oasis," said Peter Moore, Microsoft corporate vice president, Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox, who will be celebrating at the event along with J Allard, Microsoft corporate vice president and chief XNA architect, and leading game developers and members of the Xbox team. "Gamers at 'Zero Hour' will have bragging rights to say 'I spent over 24 hours at the epicentre of the gaming universe, I was among the first generation of the next generation of gaming.'"
European gamers who missed out on the opportunity to get the ultimate, luxury VIP access through the Origen competitions still have the chance to attend this exclusive event. Dedicated gamers willing to fund their own pilgrimage to the Mojave desert, can obtain one of just 3,000 tickets to the event by registering on selected Xbox fansites from 10 November. Although they won't get the same VIP access, the 3,000 global registrants will attend the same party as the European Origen VIP winners and the VIP winners from the US "Hex 168" campaign to be the first gamers in the world to fully experience all that Xbox 360 has to
offer.
Over Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is de volgende generatie spelconsole en entertainmentsysteem dat gamers centraal stelt. Xbox 360 zal aan het eind van het jaar op de markt komen en is het begin van een nieuw tijdperk op het gebied van digitaal entertainment, dat zich kenmerkt door 'always connected, always personalized and always in high definition'.
Over Xbox Live
Xbox Live brengt gamers uit de hele wereld bijeen, is nu beschikbaar in 24 landen en telt ruim 2 miljoen leden. Het is 's werelds enige wereldwijde online dienst voor games en entertainment voor spelconsoles. Deze unieke dienst biedt de beste online games, intelligente koppeling van gamers, exclusieve programma's, toernooien en integratie met Xbox.com.
Microsoft
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is opgericht in 1975 en is een bekend innovator op het gebied van software, diensten en technologie voor zowel zakelijk als persoonlijk computergebruik. Het bedrijf levert een brede reeks aan oplossingen en diensten die mensen en organisaties overal ter wereld in staat stelt hun ambities te verwezenlijken.
Voor meer informatie:
Voor journalisten:
Microsoft Persdesk, telefoon: +31 (0)23 - 569 82 22, e-mail:
mspers@monogram.nl
Gebruikers die technische ondersteuning zoeken, kunnen contact opnemen met de helpdesk van Microsoft Nederland: 020 - 500 10 05
Dit persbericht en andere persinformatie van Microsoft kunt u ook vinden op de website van Microsoft Nederland, op pagina www.microsoft.nl/pers/.
Microsoft en Windows zijn hetzij gedeponeerde handelsmerken hetzij handelsmerken van Microsoft Corporation in de Verenigde Staten en/of andere landen. Alle andere merk- en productnamen zijn handelsmerken of geregistreerde handelsmerken van hun respectieve houders.