NBC Sports, creator and owner of the successful NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship, today announced the launch of a videogame version of the popular televised tournament. Created in partnership with videogame production experts 5000ft, Inc. of Reno, NV, the National Heads-Up Poker videogame will launch on April 7, 2007 and will be available on NBCHeadsup.com.
The National Heads-Up Poker Championship features a 64-player field of poker’s biggest and best-known stars competing for $1.5 million in a series of heads-up (one-on-one games of Texas Hold'em) matches. The tournament has a unique, single-elimination, bracket-style format modeled after college basketball tournaments. This year’s event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on March 2-4 and will be televised on NBC over seven consecutive Sundays starting April 8, 2007.
5000ft, Inc. is owned by two game industry veterans and is responsible for dozens of innovative games and hit titles over the past 16 years. Created to the highest quality standards, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship has been faithfully reproduced in both format and appearance for an outstanding 3D videogame. Players are placed in a tournament with 63 varied and intelligent computer opponents to battle it out in a bracket format, mirroring the style of the televised tournament.
“We think the National Heads-Up Poker Championship is the most unique poker competition in the world, since it’s based on the single most difficult part of Texas Hold ‘Em, ” said Ian Grieve CEO of 5000ft, Inc. “Teaming up with NBC was a dream come true, and we feel the union has produced an interactive companion that captures all the action, excitement, and complexity of the championship itself.”
“The 5000ft, Inc. team has created a game capturing the true vision we wanted to complement our televised tournament,” said Jon Miller, Executive VP of NBC Sports. “They have created a magnificent representation of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship that we believe will resonate very well with our viewers.”
NBC Heads-Up the videogame will be available for direct download or on a try-before-you-buy basis via links on the website, www.NBCHeadsUp.com, which will allow consumers to experience the game prior to purchasing it.