X-play to launch on-line singing search

MANILA, Philippines - Reality-TV goes on-line with the arrival of a singing competition that makes use of the worldwideweb as stage.

X-Play Online Games, Inc. (X-Play), the casual games division of leading on-line gaming publisher IP e-Games Ventures, Inc. (e-Games), unveiled Superstar, an on-line game that promises to give the reality-TV search concept a big twist but with the similar noble goal of tapping undiscovered talents.

Superstar was announced last April 10 during Domination IV, e-Games’ grand annual celebration held at SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex. Superstar will be formally launched this month as the country’s first on-line videoke.

No less than Sarah Geronimo is spearheading the project as endorser. She also lent her voice in singing its theme song This Is My Dream.

“With the rising popularity of Internet sensations discovered over sites like YouTube and MySpace, Superstar, which was developed by Shanda Interactive Entertainment, will serve as a big break for those yet to be discovered,” said George Royeca, X-Play’s COO.

Domination IV proved to a perfect venue for Superstar as it attracted thousands of gamers just like its previous Domination events. Enthusiasts got to sample the on-line videoke as idols of superstar wannabes showcase some numbers themselves. Guest stars include Mark Bautista, Rachelle Ann Go, Parokya Ni Edgar, Sugarfree and Urbandub.

With 300 top-of-the-line PCs available for freeplay and tournaments, the occasion set up gaming areas for competitions and offline activities that went with cash prizes and in-game items. Players splurge themselves on various e-Games titles such as RAN Online, CABAL Online, Granado Espada, Dragonica, Runes of Magic, Audition Dance Battle and OP7.

Also to be launched by X-Play this year is Yedang Online’s Band Master. Not only do gamers get to play in a concert-like atmosphere, but they can also play up to six different instruments with other players. Royeca revealed that a TV project is being cooked up for Band Master, featuring the most popular musicians and unsigned acts. He related, “What’s unique about Band Master is it allows for actual garage or indie band set-ups and a unique social networking opportunity.”

Likewise of equal hype is the re-introduction of Audition Dance Battle, a multi-player on-line casual rhythm game produced by T3 Entertainment, with X-Play as publisher. Promoting the games is Pop Girls which will release a repackaged edition of its self-titled dance album in partnership with Audition Dance Battle.

X-Play will also unveil Pro Gaming League (PGL), the first on-line game tournament organization that seeks the best Cyberathletes of the Philippines for a change to be part of a televised on-line gaming tournament with a whopping P1-M cash prize. PGL aims to bring together the best players of OP7, X-Play’s first person shooting game and Defense of the Ancients or DotA to find the ultimate gaming team. “This will be the future of digital entertainment,” Royeca said.