Major League Gaming (MLG), the professional videogame league, kicks off its 2008 Pro Circuit Season with its largest, most spectator-friendly event ever, featuring exclusive exhibitions from Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios and Ubisoft, a wide range of activities and giveaways from MLG sponsors, and a live broadcasts of top matches on MLGpro.com.

Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios, developers and publishers of the blockbuster Halo franchise, will provide the first and only public hands-on look at the new Halo 3 "Blackout" map prior to its release, with exhibition matches on the new map between MLG Pro Players.  Additionally, attendees will be among the first to battle on the new map, with open gaming stations available beginning Saturday afternoon.

Coverage of the new Halo 3 map will be included in MLG’s live web broadcast of the tournament’s championship matches, which will air on MLGpro.com beginning at 3 PM ET on Sunday, April 13.  ESPN.com, a primary outlet for news about MLG, will be on hand for a live two-hour ESPN Saturday Night web broadcast, which will air on MLGpro.com at 8 PM ET on Saturday, April 12, with tournament updates available on ESPN.com throughout the weekend.

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest game publishers, will host an exhibition of its just- released Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Vegas 2, which features an MLG-inspired map specially built for competitive gaming. MLG pros and the Ubisoft-sponsored Frag Dolls team will battle in exhibition play, while Seagate Technology will host open lightening-round competitions, offering attendees the chance to compete in three-minute matches with a total of $5,000 of prize money to be given away over the weekend.

At the competition, MLG sponsors will host a number of events and giveaways.  Stride® The Ridiculously Long Lasting Gum® is sponsoring a Rock Band™ stage, where attendees can play Rock Band and have photos taken of their performances to be turned into album covers available for download on STRIDEGUM.COM.  The booth will also have a T-shirt station where attendees can receive a custom T-shirt with a headline of their choice and have the opportunity to try all six flavors of Stride Gum.  In addition, the Stride sponsored pro team, 2006 MLG Champions Team Carbon, will be appearing at the Stride booth to meet and greet fans.

GameStop will be including MLG in their local and national GTAIV promotion.  Red key chains will be randomly distributed around the MLG event premises giving fans 18 and older the chance to open Niko’s lock box and win $10,000 on the night of the Grand Theft Auto IV launch.  MLG on-line fans may also participate on-line or through their mobile phones.  For more information, go to GameStop.com/gtaiv.

Dr Pepper, the official beverage of the MLG Pro Circuit, will give attendees the chance to get more out of their gaming experience by winning a key to the Dr Pepper Ultimate Gaming House at the MLG National Championship Tournament and experiencing the latest in gaming equipment and technology.  Elements of the Dr Pepper Ultimate Gaming House will be on display during each event throughout the season, with the full gaming house being unveiled exclusively at the final tournament.   For more information, visit www.drpepperultimategaminghouse.com.