After Mark Dolven and your former CS team became the Carolina Core, the majority of Pandemic's players were involved heavily in WSVG events. How does this news affect your team and your long/short term strategy? Do you foresee this impacting your sponsorship deals?

Even prior to Dolven's departure from the Pandemic organization he and I had agreed to shift the brand's focus towards the World Series of Video Games for 2007 and, ideally, the years to come. We saw an opportunity to embrace "free" gaming and take advantage of the competitive world outside of the CGS and MLG; I thoroughly believed that on the heels of World of Warcraft and the other unique games supported by the World Series we could become the dominant independent gaming brand in North America.

For one to say that the failure of the league damages Pandemic as a whole would be a mistake, however we undoubtedly were fostered into the level of success that we now enjoy thanks to the World Series and largely the World Series alone. Our breakout event -- even when we were little more than a Counter-Strike team -- dates back to WSVG LANWAR '06.

While I take the time to reassess our overall position, we will revert our focus to promotional efforts with our partners and begin what appears will be somewhat of a "waiting game" with World of Warcraft. Our players have expressed lackluster-at-best interest levels in participating in 2v2 arena, but I have extended to them an open door policy should they choose to pursue the CGS.

As for our sponsorships, we are blessed to be supported by some of the best in the business and they know that our value truly transcends any individual tournament or series. I have already spoken directly with several of our corporate representatives on the matter and they have been more than understanding - the reaction isn't devaluing of Team Pandemic but rather mutual shock in the failure of the league.

Will Pandemic be cutting any divisions because of the changing landscape? Will you continue to support your rather larger GH2 division?

Despite the loss of the major competitive aspect and a great deal of the worth Pandemic found in having the game on-board, we will not leave our players out in the cold simply because of this unfortunate turn of events.

While there may be very little for them to 'do' with the absence of media (namely VoD and CBS Sports), there is still a large promotional significance associated with the likes of TipperQueen and our GH2 squad.

Nick "Kov" Shish will actually be accompanying a Pandemic.CSS member to our upcoming Dell Unleashed college tour stop in Orlando this weekend, and I guarantee that he will generate every bit as much interest with the crowd as our Counter-Strike player. Anyone can step up, try the game out, and have a genuinely good time; the 'fun' value has not gone away.

How does the competitive landscape look for your WoW team? What events will they be prepping for now? What does this mean for wow in the short term?

Our World of Warcraft team is amazing in that it consists not only of some of the world's finest gaming talent, but some of the most intelligent and loyal individuals I have ever been associated with in this business. I have no doubt whatsoever that they will do well in whichever avenue(s) they decide to pursue in gaming.

That being said, Pandemic.WoW still exists successfully and and will continue to do so. We have discussed internally a variety options to help the team flourish and remain on top of WoW, as well as some indirect opportunities that will allow them to remain active in the greater gaming community despite the present standstill.

They will continue to compete in Blizzard's online ladder and will await their chance to attend any events around the globe that sprout up as a result of the competitive void that the WSVG has left. Rumor has it they may even be on a magazine cover sometime soon. ;)