LOS ANGELES – April 15, 2008 – In preparation for the 2008 North America regular season which begins in June, the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) announced the launch of the CGS North America Training Camp for players from all six North American CGS teams: Carolina Core, Chicago Chimera, Dallas Venom, Los Angeles Complexity, New York 3D and San Francisco Optx. Beginning April 22 and running through May 25, players from each team – selected during last month’s North America Draft in Austin, Texas – will compete in online matches four times each week for five consecutive weeks.

“With this first-ever official Training Camp, we’re further realizing our vision of establishing the CGS as the only worldwide professional video gaming league,” said Andy Reif, CGS Commissioner. “Our webcast programming for the Training Camp is merely the first step toward our ambitious 2008 online initiatives focused on original programming, all-new tournaments and other content which will provide us with more opportunities to engage our audiences.”

The North America Training Camp will allow General Managers (GMs) to evaluate player performance and make modifications to their teams – including player trades and substitutions in accordance with the CGS Trade & Taxi-Player Substitution Policy – serving as a valuable opportunity for the players and GMs to prepare for the regular season. The final deadline for player trades leading into the regular season is June 18.

“Training Camp is going to give me the opportunity to fine-tune the team roster that I believe will win the World Final this season,” said Jason Lake, General Manager for the Los Angeles Complexity. “My players will have to step up to the plate during Training Camp or sit down on the bench for the regular season.”

Competitions and web programming will take place each week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights, with Thursday matches broadcast live beginning at 7 p.m. EST on thecgs.com. Footage from the other matches during the week will post online following the events. Matches during the five-week CGS North America Training Camp will consist of three competitions in a Round Robin format, with players from each team going head-to-head once each night:

Tuesdays (April 22, 29; May 6, 13, 20)
Match 1: Dead or Alive 4 – Male
Match 1: Dead or Alive 4 – Female
Match 2: Dead or Alive 4 – Male
Match 2: Dead or Alive 4 – Female
Match 3: Dead or Alive 4 – Male
Match 3: Dead or Alive 4 – Female

Wednesdays (April 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21)
Match 1: FIFA 08
Match 2: FIFA 08
Match 3: FIFA 08

Thursdays (April 24; May 1, 8, 15, 22)
Match 1: Counter-Strike: Source
Match 2: Counter-Strike: Source
Match 3: Counter-Strike: Source

Sundays (April 27; May 4, 11, 18, 25)
Match 1: Forza 2
Match 2: Forza 2
Match 3: Forza 2

More information including Training Camp schedules, instant score updates, featured streaming matches and the official CGS Trade & Taxi-Player Substitution Policy can be found online at thecgs.com.

About Championship Gaming Series

Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the Championship Gaming Series™ (CGS) is the only worldwide professional video gaming league. Launched in 2007, and a joint venture among BSkyB, DIRECTV and STAR, CGS features teams of the world's best gamers from North America, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The league distributes entertainment content to more than 350 million viewers worldwide via DIRECTV in North America and Latin America, BSkyB in the UK, and STAR in Asia and Australia. CGS sponsors include Mountain Dew, Creative, Xbox 360 and Dell XPS.