38 Studios Announces 1st Annual MASSACHUSETTS GAME CHALLENGE

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--38 Studios (www.38studios.com), a pioneering entertainment company dedicated to delivering a broad spectrum of entertainment products, today announced the 1^st Annual Massachusetts Game Challenge (MGC). The contest, open to students studying game design at Massachusetts-area universities, invites the region’s upcoming talent to design a video game.

“We view this challenge as a fun way to energize local engineers, artists, designers, and marketers to show off their skills and gain recognition. We also love working with the amazing universities in the area, as they’re nurturing the next wave of talented game developers”

The Rules

Students must establish teams of no less than two and no more than three eligible members. Each team is strongly encouraged to contain members of varied disciplines of study (i.e., engineering, art, and marketing). Teams are to build a playable video game featuring the 38 Studios mascot and his alter ego, Mean Munch, as well as create additional characters for Munch’s “posse.” To qualify for consideration, each team must submit a copy of the Contest Rules signed by all participants; complete the one-page Submissions Form, which provides high-level descriptions of such details as the product and game play instructions, each of the team members’ contributions, and a vision for launching the product into the existing video game industry; and include a DVD or CD-ROM of the executable game itself. The deadline for submissions is February 18, 2008.

The Prize

Winners of the contest will be announced on or before April 21, 2008. Teams will be judged on the following criteria: Degree of overall finished product, originality, visual polish, stability, length of quality game play, and expanded market vision and product strategy. 1^st Prize is $3,000 to each winning team member; 2^nd Prize is $2,000 each; and 3^rd Prize is $1,000 each.

“The Boston area is a growing hotbed of game development,” said 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling. “This contest encourages students to demonstrate their talents, as well as raise awareness of what it takes to release a product into the competitive video game industry.”

The 38 Studios mascot, Munch, has been a popular symbol since Schilling founded the company one year ago. 38 Studios plans to continue the tradition of this contest each year and even expand the boundaries.

“We view this challenge as a fun way to energize local engineers, artists, designers, and marketers to show off their skills and gain recognition. We also love working with the amazing universities in the area, as they’re nurturing the next wave of talented game developers,” added Brett Close, President and CEO of 38 Studios. “It’s great for everyone involved and gives motivated students a direct opportunity to be a part of the 38 Studios team.”

For complete rules and other details regarding the contest, visit the 38 Studios web site at www.38studios.com.

About 38 Studios

38 Studios, a media and entertainment company founded in 2006 by Curt Schilling, is in pre-production on an original fantasy IP driven by the creative and artistic visions of pop-culture icons R. A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane. Entertainment products will include a massively immersive online entertainment experience that transcends the traditional MMO genre, novels, comics, toys, movies, TV, and more. For more information, visit http://www.38studios.com.