Battle to Save Earth on Xbox Live in First Ever Global Halo 2 Online Tournament

Halo 2 fans from all corners of the globe will get the chance to compete in the world's largest battle for Earth yet. Contestants from Xbox Live's 24 regions will vie for the honor of being named Xbox Live Halo 2 World Champion.

The global contest is currently underway, with the GameStop-sponsored United States competition kicking off during the week of May 2nd with regional qualifying rounds. The worldwide finals will be played in June, culminating in the naming of the first ever Xbox Live Halo 2 World Champion. Never before have all 24 Xbox Live regions - such as Japan, New Zealand, France and Norway - participated in one global tournament event. The Xbox Live Halo 2 World Champion will be decided by a double elimination ladder. The U.S. qualifying round will be played in the "Rumble Pit" match setting within Halo 2. Please see www.Xbox.com for more details about this worldwide tournament.

Contestants 18 years and older can register at GameStop stores nationwide or at www.GameStopStores.com. Registration for this worldwide tournament begins Tuesday, April 26. The GameStop-sponsored U. S. National Champion will play online in the worldwide finals in June.

Halo 2 is one of the highest rated and top selling video games of all time, with more than 6.7 million copies sold since November 2004. It was also one of the most profitable entertainment initiatives of the past year, pre-selling 1.5 million copies and taking in more than $125 million in its first 24 hours of release. As Xbox Live continues to redefine online gaming, Halo 2 features superior online multiplayer capabilities, evidenced by the fact that Xbox Live gamers have logged a record-breaking 220 million hours playing Halo 2 since its launch.

All 24 Xbox Live regions are in the process of crowing their own Halo 2 champion through regional and local competitions right now. Once crowned, those champions will have a guaranteed spot in the final round in June and battle each other over Xbox Live from their home countries for the title of Xbox Live Halo 2 World Champion. Regional winners will receive a limited edition half-size Master Chief statue, a personalized Xbox Live Halo 2 Championship sweatshirt and country champion plaque, a Samsung Camcorder, and $500 in cash. The global champion will receive, in addition to the regional prize package, a 50' Samsung Flat Screen DLP HDTV, a Samsung DVD Player/Recorder, and personalized Xbox Live Halo 2 World Champion trophy featuring a 24k gold Halo 2 game disc, and $1,500 in cash.

A new frontier in imagination and extraordinary interaction, no one else offers the richness of online gameplay found on Xbox Live. The world's only unified global online console games service, Xbox Live is continuously innovating to provide members with unparalleled experiences. This unique service unites gamers together in a dynamic community where they can experience the best online games, exclusive programming and continuous downloadable content. Xbox Live launched in the United States in November 2002 and is available in 24 countries. Please visit http://www.xbox.com/live for more information.

Xbox is Microsoft's future-generation video game system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever. Xbox empowers game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Xbox is now available in North America, Japan, Europe and Australia.

Bungie Studios was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years it has produced games such as the Marathon Trilogy and the first two Myth games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. Released in 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved has achieved phenomenal success on the Microsoft^® Xbox video game system and is also available for the PC.