The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) announced today that it will use id Software's Quake 3 as the primary featured one-versus-one game for the soon to be announced CPL 2006 World Season.

This decision was made after the following votes were submitted:

The CPL tournament staff - 90% in favor of Quake 3
The CPL world partners - 90% in favor of Quake 3
The CPL 1v1 committee - 85% in favor of Quake 3
The gamers (that voted on the CPL poll) - 80% in favor of Quake 3

The decision to host Quake 3 competitions was made based on existing features in Quake 3 that will enable the CPL to focus on providing the best tournament experience for both competitors and spectators.

This decision should not be regarded as critical towards id software or Raven, but should be considered a compliment of how well Quake 3 has withstood the test of time. The CPL will continue to provide feedback to id software on Quake 4, to help improve its tournament features until such point as the community feels that the game has the necessary features to replace Quake 3.

With almost 80% of the poll voting being cast for the return of Quake 3, the community of gamers and the competitors spoke out regarding which game they preferred to be playing at the 2006 World Season. The players have cited gameplay, GTV, and the large user base as reasons for their choice.

The CPL has chosen to feature during the CPL 2006 World Season the two games that are widely regarded as the best tournament games of all time: Counter Strike 1.6 and Quake 3. The 2006 World Season will conclude at The CPL Winter Final Championships, taking place Wednesday, December 13, to Sunday, December 17, 2006 at the landmark Hyatt Regency in Downtown, Dallas, Texas.

The website and online registration for the Winter Finals are expected to be launched on Tuesday, August 1, 2006.