Empire of Sports
Euroleague Basketball tournament launches later this month.
Wednesday, 9th December 2009, Paris… Euroleague Basketball is delighted to announce its entrance into the first virtual world entirely dedicated to sport, Empire of Sports. This partnership comes as a unique complement to the Euroleague’s mission of promoting basketball throughout Europe.
Each year, the 24 best European basketball teams take part in the Euroleague season, which culminates with the Final Four each spring at a selected location.
Euroleague Basketball is already represented in Empire of Sports by a fully dedicated virtual clubhouse. There, players can connect to all of the Euroleague online services and stay informed of the latest news. Inside the virtual clubhouse, players can also find special items, such as special basketball shirts for use in Empire of Sports. There is also a virtual coach to give advice and missions meant to develop their playing abilities on the court.
In the coming months, the Empire of Sports and Euroleague partnership will develop through regular events and competitions based on actual Euroleague happenings. Further details will be released later.
As for now, Empire of Sports will celebrate the partnership by organising a welcome tournament: the "Euroleague Basketball Tournament", which will take place from December 14 to 20. Open to all teams in the game, it will give players the opportunity to develop their avatar’s running and shooting abilities as well as team play. Among the prizes for the tournament’s winners are official Euroleague merchandise, including basketballs and hats.
"Empire of Sports is the perfect place for our mission to promote basketball in Europe," explained Euroleague Basketball’s Director of Marketing & Sponsor Sales, Mr. Pedro Galván. "Its community is not only genuinely interested in sports in general, but also young, open to new experiences and eager for new challenges. Empire of Sports provides us with an opportunity to reach hundreds of thousands of potential new basketball players. We are extremely happy with this partnership and about all the exciting events we will organise together."
Empire of Sports is currently in the Prologue phase: The game is progressively expanding with the help of exclusive partners and the suggestions of an active and deeply involved community.
In order to join the first virtual sportsmen community in the world, register on www.empireofsports.com, and download the game for free!
About Empire of Sports
Empire of Sports is a new kind of massively multiplayer games. It combines the depth of role-play and the competitive dynamics of sports games in an innovative and very ambitious (including technically) persistent world, where players can meet in real time from all over the world and play sports together. Currently in its “Prologue” phase, Empire of Sports offers unrestricted access to its featured six sports: tennis, football, skiing, bobsleigh, basketball, and track & field. During this Prologue phase, players are encouraged to provide feedback to the development team to help fine tune the gameplay and business model. Premium accounts are already available for players willing to get extra services in Empire of Sports, like boosts for their avatars’ performances, access to special events, extra avatar slots… The Premium accounts are available from as low as €2,22 per month through the account management section on www.empireofsports.com.
Empire of Sports is produced and operated by the joint venture founded by Infront Sports & Media and F4. F4 is developing the platform leveraging the expertise of its team in online gaming and the creation of persistent virtual worlds, while Infront Sports & Media is contributing its long-term relationships with top sports federations, clubs and athletes to the endeavour. Empire of Sports has open its Prologue phase in Europe while Giant, the first Chinese massively multiplayer games operator, has launched its closed beta in China.
About F4
Founded in 2002 by a pair of mathematicians, keen on gaming, mangas and philosophy, F4 is an independent company based on the Champs Elysées, Paris. Specializing in the conception, development and the operation of virtual worlds, F4 is strongly connected to 3D computer games. In contrast to other games, persistent worlds are hugely advantageous as they permit ongoing real-time dialogue within the players’ community. F4 is committed to take this a step further and continuously evolve the functionalities, gameplay and business model of its games. F4 are continuously looking to maintain and exceed player expectations.
Empire of Sports relies on F4’s high technical standards to achieve results other than that seen in many typical MMO genres, and a unique graphical identity, both rich and endearing.
Further information is available from
Mathilde Remy
Empire of Sports / F4
mathilde.remy@f4-group.com
+33 153 891 204