NBC launches poker game
NEW YORK – (PRESS RELEASE) -- NBC Sports, creator and owner of the successful NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship, today announced the launch of a videogame version of the popular televised tournament. Created in partnership with videogame production experts 5000ft, Inc. of Reno, NV, the National Heads-Up Poker videogame will launch on April 7, 2007 and will be available on NBCHeadsup.com.
The National Heads-Up Poker Championship features a 64-player field of poker's biggest and best-known stars competing for $1.5 million in a series of heads-up (one-on-one games of Texas Hold'em) matches. The tournament has a unique, single-elimination, bracket-style format modeled after college basketball tournaments. This year's event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on March 2-4 and will be televised on NBC over seven consecutive Sundays starting April 8, 2007.
5000ft, Inc. is owned by two game industry veterans and is responsible for dozens of innovative games and hit titles over the past 16 years. Created to the highest quality standards, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship has been faithfully reproduced in both format and appearance for an outstanding 3D videogame. Players are placed in a tournament with 63 varied and intelligent computer opponents to battle it out in a bracket format, mirroring the style of the televised tournament.
"We think the National Heads-Up Poker Championship is the most unique poker competition in the world, since it's based on the single most difficult part of Texas Hold 'Em, " said Ian Grieve CEO of 5000ft, Inc. "Teaming up with NBC was a dream come true, and we feel the union has produced an interactive companion that captures all the action, excitement, and complexity of the championship itself."
"The 5000ft, Inc. team has created a game capturing the true vision we wanted to complement our televised tournament," said Jon Miller, Executive VP of NBC Sports. "They have created a magnificent representation of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship that we believe will resonate very well with our viewers."
NBC Heads-Up the videogame will be available for direct download or on a try-before-you-buy basis via links on the website, www.NBCHeadsUp.com, which will allow consumers to experience the game prior to purchasing it.
NBC sits atop broadcasting's leader board as provider of America's most prestigious and comprehensive sports television lineup. What sets NBC Sports apart is its forward-thinking leadership, a tradition of exceptionally high standards in broadcast production and an emphasis on building true partnerships with the leagues and governing bodies with which the network is aligned. The alliances and associations NBC Sports has carefully forged ensure a significant future for the network, its partners and its viewers. NBC has strategically established long-term agreements with some of the most coveted properties in sports: the Summer and Winter Olympics through 2012, the National Football League, the PGA Tour, the USGA, Wimbledon, and Notre Dame.
5000ft, Inc. is an independent software development group based in Reno, Nevada. The company has a wealth of experience and skills in the videogame arena and is bring them to bear on markets outside the traditional console retail business. 5000ft, Inc. works in Casino/Strategy sectors, Slot machine engineering and edutainment sectors alongside the more traditional videogame business. Combining skills with field experts on the basis of partnership is the focus for market expansion. This has enabled 5000ft, Inc. to pursue new, interesting and more profitable directions away from its traditional console games role during the last 6 years. With full-time staff, contractors and expert suppliers, the company maintains a dynamic methodology towards creating product. The company can adapt itself to many fields of application using core strengths and technology as a driving force.