Doritos and Microsoft Announce 'Avatar Crash Course' and 'Harm's Way' Finalists of Unlock Xbox Competition
25 Januar 2010 - 1:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Fan-Selected Favorites to be Developed into Xbox LIVE Arcade Games
PLANO, Texas, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Doritos brand today
announced that "Avatar Crash Course" and "Harm's Way," unique game
concepts created by Jill Robertson of Raleigh, NC and Justin
Carpenter of Ogden, Utah, respectively, are the two remaining
finalists of the Doritos "Unlock Xbox" challenge. The games now
will be developed into full Xbox LIVE® Arcade games, expected to be
released in fall 2010 where they will compete head-to-head for the
contest's grand prize -- a $50,000 cash reward and an opportunity
to consult with Doritos on gaming. This marks the second time
PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division has brokered a partnership between the
Doritos brand and Microsoft to provide video game enthusiasts the
creative challenge of a lifetime and the opportunity to play a lead
role in developing a video game based on their own ideas and
inspiration. Robertson and Carpenter now will collaborate with Xbox
360 and a renowned development team to turn their visions into
reality. Once both games are completed, they will become available
on Xbox LIVE Arcade, the premier destination for downloadable
games, where one grand prize winner will be crowned based on the
number of votes they receive. The entire process will be turned
into an online documentary video series that fans will be able to
watch by visiting http://www.unlockxbox.com/. "We continue to be
amazed by the creativity of Doritos fans and feel like we are once
again on the brink of creating blockbuster gaming experiences that
we hope Xbox fans will enjoy," said Rudy Wilson, vice president,
marketing, Frito-Lay. "It was incredible to see the consumer voting
community rally around a wide range of innovative game ideas, and
we are thrilled to offer our fans a chance to live their dream and
create their own Xbox LIVE Arcade game." Both games, along with
runner-up game "Thrown," a concept by Jason Santa Maria of San
Diego, CA, were narrowed down from 1,500 unique game ideas
submitted in the fall of 2009. Eight quarter-finalists were
selected and fans voted online for their favorites based on video
pitches made to Microsoft. In early January, the field was narrowed
to the top-three contenders, who then traveled to Seattle for one
final pitch to executives from Microsoft and Doritos, where the
selection of the final two was made. Robertson's "Avatar Crash
Course" is high-energy fun for everyone. Full of comical mishaps,
players maneuver their avatars through ruthless obstacles and crazy
levels as they battle to be number one. Great as a casual party
game, "Avatar Crash Course" also can be enjoyed in multiplayer mode
with up to four friends. Or, go for the challenge of playing solo
and try to level up and beat your best times through the campaign,
fighting to achieve the best time and get the gold. Either way,
you'll have a chance to get great power-ups, such as shoes to run
faster and a belt that improves balance. Carpenter's "Harms Way" is
a fast-paced, action-packed race that pairs up drivers and snipers,
offering various game modes to choose from. As a sniper, players
will help their driver win by any means necessary doing anything
from blocking an opponent's path to creating shortcuts that earn
nitrous. When you're the driver, players will want to be aggressive
and ram the other cars off the road. Enjoy four-player split
screens, online play and plenty of explosions. Unlock Xbox is one
of many ways the Doritos brand continues to turn control over to
consumers. The brand's commitment to fan-empowerment began with the
Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" program, which started in 2007 and
has turned the brand's Super Bowl advertising over to its fans
every year. In addition, the brand has put consumers in control
through a variety of other exciting opportunities, including the
Doritos "X-13D Flavor Experiment," where consumers had a chance to
name a new mysterious flavor of chips; "THE QUEST," which engaged
fans in a multi-faceted online and real-world adventure of
challenges; and "Doritos Late Night," which provided Doritos fans
ground-breaking virtual musical performances by blink-182 and Big
Boi through the power of augmented reality technology where fans
could enjoy and control the performances in the palm of their hand.
Frito-Lay North America is the $12 billion convenient foods
business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), which is headquartered in
Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units
include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn
more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site,
http://www.fritolay.com/ , the Snack Chat blog,
http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/fritolay. PepsiCo offers the world's largest
portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18
different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in
annual retail sales. Our main businesses -- Frito-Lay, Quaker,
Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade -- also make hundreds of other
nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers
in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues,
PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique
commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose.
By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for
healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental
impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture,
PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our
communities worldwide. For more information, please visit
http://www.pepsico.com/. Contact: Chris Kuechenmeister Frito-Lay
214-422-8901 cell Hannah Wong Edelman for Xbox LIVE Arcade
206-268-2290 DATASOURCE: Frito-Lay North America CONTACT: Chris
Kuechenmeister of Frito-Lay, cell, +1-214-422-8901, ; or Hannah
Wong of Edelman, +1-206-268-2290, , for Xbox LIVE Arcade Web Site:
http://www.unlockxbox.com/ http://www.fritolay.com/
http://www.pepsico.com/
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