Gaming News - August 2006

Redwood City, CA (August 16, 2006) - Electronic Arts announced today the locations and dates for the 2006 EA Sports Madden Challenge.

From EA Sports:

This year, for the first time, the 2006 EA Sports Madden Challenge will expand internationally, adding challenges in each of the following countries: Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and Hong Kong.

The winners from the 26 U.S. cities and five NFL international tournaments will advance to the Finals, held during Pro Bowl week (week of Feb. 8, 2007) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The winner of the 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge will receive a grand prize package, including a check for $100,000 and the winners of each regional competition will receive $1,000. Last year, 73,000 people attended and 16,000 competed nationwide, but Jarvis Thomas from Upper Marlboro, MD proved he was the best player and took the $100,000 grand prize at the Honolulu finals.

The 2006 EA Sports Madden Challenge, presented by Best Buy and sponsored by Microsoft and Sprint, will test the skills of thousands of gamers on Madden NFL 07, on both the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. The professional division (consisting of up to 512 competitors at each regional stop) will feature competition on the Xbox videogame system from Microsoft and a new Xbox 360 Division (64 competitors at each stop) will feature next-gen play on the Xbox 360 console. The regional winner from each professional division will advance to the finals in Hawaii.

The 2006 EA Sports Madden Challenge schedule, including five international cities:

DATE
CITY
VENUE

9/1/2006
Denver
Invesco Field

9/3/2006
Minneapolis
MetroDome

9/9/2006
Indianapolis
RCA Dome

9/10/2006
Chicago
Solider Field

9/16/2006
Green Bay
Lambeau Atrium

9/17/2006
Detroit
Ford Field

9/23/2006
Atlanta
Lenox Mall

9/24/2006
New Orleans
Superdome

9/25/2006
New Orleans - MNF
Superdome

9/30/2006
Cincinnati
Newport on the Levee

10/1/2006
Pittsburgh
Heinz Field

10/7/2006
Boston
Gillette Stadium

10/8/2006
Philadelphia
King of Prussia Mall

10/14/2006
New Jersey
Jersey Garden Mall

10/15/2006
New York
Grand Central Station

10/21/2006
Baltimore
M & T Bank Stadium

10/22/2006
Washington DC
Fed Ex Field

10/28/2006
Charlotte
Concord Mills

10/29/2006
Tampa
Raymond James Stadium

11/4/2006
Houston
Reliant Stadium Park

11/5/2006
Dallas
Texas Stadium

11/11/2006
Phoenix
Cardinal Stadium

11/12/2006
San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium

11/18/2006
Los Angeles
Hollywood & Highland

11/19/2006
Oakland
McAfee Coliseum

11/24/2006
Seattle
Qwest Field

11/26/2006
San Francisco
Metreon

1/13/2007
Toronto, Canada
TBD

1/20/2007
Hong Kong, China
EA Experience

1/27/2007
Mexico City, Mexico
TBD

2/4/2007
London, England
Superbash

2/4/2007
Frankfurt, Germany
Commerce Stadium

2/8/2007
Honolulu (Finals)
Pro Bowl

For 2006 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 www.maddenchallenge.com.  Registration is $15 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.