Electronic Gaming
Monthly, the flagship publication of the Ziff Davis Media Game Group, has
teamed up with MTV to bring viewers the Ultimate Video Game Countdown. The
television show which will celebrate the best games from the past three years
of the new millennium will air on MTV: Music Television on January 2, 2004 at
8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The show will repeat six times within a two-week time
period. The winners will also appear in the February 2004 issue of Electronic
Gaming Monthly.
"We are excited to be able to form a partnership of this caliber with
MTV," said Lee Uniacke, publisher of the Ziff Davis Media Game Group.
"Electronic Gaming Monthly and all of our other market-leading publications as
well as 1UP.com, reach the same demographics as the viewers of MTV. This is a
great opportunity for us to combine our editorial expertise on video gaming
with the exciting dynamic of a TV show at the same time."
A multitude of popular video game titles have been nominated for the "The
Best Video Game of the New Millennium." The countdown will include the best
game picks selected by Electronic Gaming Monthly and MTV panelists. The video
games will be ranked in order by viewers based on results from an online poll
taking place on http://www.mtv.com/onair/ultimate_countdown .
Aside from the countdown portion of the show, profiles of gamers whose
lives have been affected by playing video games will also be a part of the
program, including a girl who lost weight playing DDR Max: Dance Dance
Revolution and a group of gamers who bond when playing Halo on Xbox. Viewers
will see the faces of the creators behind the development of their favorite
games as well as coverage of celebrities in games.
Editor in Chief, Dan Hsu and Managing Editor, Jennifer Tsao of Electronic
Gaming Monthly will provide expert opinion throughout the show to be hosted by
the magazine's witty columnist Seanbaby, writer of a section containing
hilarious reviews on the worst video games ever. Seanbaby will add commentary
to the show with an array of gaming topics.
"We know that our viewers are obsessed with video games and are thrilled
to join forces with Electronic Gaming Monthly to present a light-hearted and
fun look at video games that are popular right now," said Dave Sirulnick,
executive vice president of programming and news at MTV.
