BALTIMORE, MD – CEVO, LLC., announced today that AMD (NYSE: AMD), a leader in the design and manufacture of innovative PC platform technologies and digital media silicon solutions, and SAPPHIRE Technology , industry leaders and innovators in graphics solutions and AMD’s leading provider for ATI graphics World Wide are expanding their sponsorship of CEVO to include Counter-Strike 1.6.

AMD and SAPPHIRE have agreed to provide sponsorship for CEVO’s ninth season of Counter-Strike 1.6 this will provide cash as well as thirty HD4870 Sapphire graphics cards. The sponsorship demonstrates AMD’s and SAPPHIRE’s continued commitment to support the competitive gaming “eSports” community.



“I am very excited that both AMD and SAPPHIRE have decided to not only continue but expand their support of the CEVO community,” said Charlie Plitt, CEO / President of CEVO. “The AMD and SAPPHIRE sponsorship will allow for the Counter-Strike 1.6 players to compete for cash prizes and some of the world’s top GPU hardware”.

Since its launch in 2004, CEVO has been the driving force in transforming online video gaming from a hobby into a professional sport. The addition of AMD and SAPPHIRE as event sponsors will only further increase the exposure of online professional gaming “eSports” to the mainstream culture of North American.

“SAPPHIRE is the graphics brand of choice for many gamers, because of our innovative designs, and our quality and reliability across a broad range of products” added Bill Donnelly, Global PR Director for SAPPHIRE Technology. “We are delighted to continue our support for the CEVO community as part of our ongoing program to be actively involved with the heart of our customer base – the enthusiast and dedicated gamer”


About CEVO
Founded in December 2003, CEVO is North America’s leading competitive online gaming venue. CEVO has transformed how gamers perceive online gaming, customer support, and has dispelled the notion of cheating online. The innovative model used by CEVO has transformed online gaming and has proven that it is no longer “just a game.”

About Sapphire Technology
Pioneers in a new era of how data is displayed and games are played, SAPPHIRE supports the performance oriented with ground-breaking solutions to an environment that remains in a constant state of flux and ultimate evolution. For over ten years SAPPHIRE has held true to its unwavering commitment to deliver the most feature rich and soundly engineered products. Because of SAPPHIRE's firm position on achieving excellence with each product that leaves its ISO9001 and ISO14001 certified factories, users can be rest assured that their gaming experience will be to the highest standards possible for the lifetime of the product.