This is being sent on the wire as I type, reaching websites, journalists and readers around the world. We’ll keep the blog updated with more news. Enjoy!

DUELS.COM® HOSTS 200,000,000^TH BATTLE, SHATTERS RECORDS AND CROWNS NEW WORLD CHAMPION

Exponential One-Ups O.J. Simpson in 2009 World Duels Championship
May 28, 2009 (AUSTIN, TX) – It was a record-breaking week for Duels.com®, the massively multiplayer online player vs. player (PVP) game developed by Austin game studio Challenge Online Games, Inc. (Challenge Games®). Not only did the game host its 200,000,000^th (yes, that’s two hundred millionth) battle, but a new World Duels Champion was crowned after a tournament that shattered year over year records.

The championship ladder opened Tuesday, May 12 at 1pm EDT and nearly 3,000 competitors from 70 countries battled it out for two weeks. With double the participants from last year and nearly four times the amount of matches, it was a fierce, record-breaking competition to be last man standing. In the end, Duelist David Johnson (a.k.a. “Exponential”) was crowned 2009 World Duels Champion and took home $2000 in cash and prizes. Runner-up Duelist Andy Foote (a.k.a. O.J. Simpson) took home $1000 in cash and prizes. Each finalist will also have the opportunity to design a new item to be included in Duels®.

“Reaching the 200-millionth milestone during the 2009 World Duels Championship added an exclamation point to an already phenomenal event,” says Christian Primozich, Executive Producer of Duels. “From me and the entire Duels team, two hundred million thanks to all of the Duelists who brought their A-game and participated in the 2009 WDC. Duels continues to have the most amazing community of gamers on the Internet, and the bar has been set very high for 2010!”
With half a million players worldwide, Duels is an online strategy game where players build powerful characters based on physical attributes, battle experience, special abilities and collectible items. Unlike many online strategy games which require hours of grinding play to achieve player power and status, Duels is designed to provide compelling in-depth PVP, head-to-head game play in 10 to 30 minute increments, attracting both hardcore and casual gamers for quick-fix gaming.

Register to play Duels today and receive free items packs at www.duels.com.

About Challenge Games, Inc.

Challenge Games creates online games that are fun and easy to play whether you’re a serious or casual gamer. The company was founded by veteran entrepreneur and gamer Andrew Busey, author of Secrets of the MUD Wizards and creator of one of the first instant messaging applications. Challenge Games currently produces Planetstorm, Warstom, Duels and Baseball Boss – multiplayer web-based games that combine the best features of collectible card games (CCGs) and online roleplaying games, with the convenience of the short-form gaming experience. The company also holds a multi-year licensing agreement with MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball. Challenge Games is based in Austin, TX and is privately held with funding from Sequoia Capitol and Globespan Capital Partners. For more information on Challenge games, visit www.challengegames.com

*Correction- Exponential’s name is actually David Johnston, and not David Johnson as originally written. We apologize for the error.*

 As we continue toward the release of Noble Set VI, we will be providing artwork and updated attributes on each individual item. Enjoy.

UPDATED: Armor and Slot were not meant to be on this item. They have been removed.

Voldur’s Vortex Power Rating: 935 Main Hand: Staff 45-135 Damage +75 Strength +50 Speed +30 Perception -20 Stamina -20 Resist -5% Dodge +10% Critical Noble Set VI Legendary

Can you smell it? Noble Set VI is coming soon. In preparation, we will be Kicking off a series of exclusive previews.

Today, we reveal the stats and attributes of Noble Set VI as they currently stand.  Between now and the release, we will be revealing additional  information including artwork and more.

NOTE: Noble Set VI is still in development. All elements are subject to change prior to release.

(more…)

The World Duels Championship 2009 Semi Finals have concluded, and ‘intense’ doesn’t even begin to describe the day’s event. Five rounds, 256 participants, all battling for the top 16 spots. As each challenge commenced, players around the world watched to see who their next opponent could be. The Duels Chat room was a hot spot, as people shared agonizing losses, miraculous wins, and quick advice about their next match ups.

After each round, the list of top players changed dramatically, and some seasoned favorites found themselves in trouble due to a few under-the-radar players. By round five, it was all heart for many of our participants as each fight of the final round held their WDC fate.

Congratulations to all 256 participants that made it thus far in the WDC battle, and a bigger congratulations to our sweet 16, who are moving on to tomorrow’s Finals tournament!

The top 16 (in current ranking order as of Saturday, May 23rd)

1. HaVoCLaD

2. FreezemeUp

3. Duke

4. Almighty Argh

5. Alcoholic Champ

6. OJ Simpson

7. GigaPat

8. wetryu

9. NigerianWarlord

10. Exponential

11. Sora Elsa

12. Dark as Knight

13. The Quick

14. SteamRoller

15. Jowlstar

16. Princess Fluffy

Follow these top 16 players tomorrow, as the struggle to become the World Duels Champion heats up! You can stay up to date with the 2009 Finals by visiting the Finals page and by watching the Tournaments tomorrow afternoon- beginning at 2pm EDT.

From these top 16 will emerge the top 2 Finalists, who will go through a best-of-three match up later tomorrow afternoon beginning at 5:30 EDT. Only one will be crowned the World Duels Champion- who will it be?

The 2009 WDC Ladder housed tens of thousands of participants, varying in different Paths and levels of expertise, all fighting their way to the top. As the remaining hours slipped away, a countdown clock appeared on the WDC ladder page signifying the final hour approaching. Players scrambled to reach their minimum numbers of fights, trying to protect their spot or take another’s, and squeeze in as much as they could before the ladder officially closed.

At 1pm EDT this afternoon the WDC ladder drew to a halt, Duelists put down their weapons, and silence filled the Arena. Onlookers peered anxiously at the competitors unsure of who would make it. As the cloud of dust settled only 256 participants stood, proudly moving on to the next stage of the competition: the Semi Final tournaments. (link)

Though they managed to make it through the ladder process, the journey ahead of these chosen few is far from over. With a day to gather their breath and mend their wounds, all participants will gather again in the Arena on Saturday at 3pm EDT. Already placed in their respective tournament brackets, they will begin the most difficult experience of their Dueling careers- fighting to move on to the Finals. (link)

Who will succeed? Who will fail? Who will ultimately become our 2009 World Duels Champion and take home the grand prize? For now, let’s commend the fantastic event that will be remembered as the 2009 WDC Ladder and take a look at who made it: (the Top 256 list)

Congratulations to these top WDC participants, and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

This year’s World Duels Championship ladder has been amazing, to say the least. Everyone has brought their A-game and it shows. In terms of stats, we’ve already blown last year’s WDC event out of the water. Over 130,000 fights have been logged in the WDC ladder (no, that does not include forfeits) and more fights are happening every minute. The ladder is ending Thursday, at which point all players in the WDC ladder will be ranked. While it’s been fun watching the first couple pages of participants enjoy some fame, let us not forget where the big battleground currently lies: in the Bubble.

In sports, bubble teams involve the groups that are soooo close to making it in to the semi finals for an event. There’s always a group of teams competing to fill out the last couple spots, and their struggle to beat the odds is nothing short of spectacular. I myself am not a huge sports fan (I’m waiting on flip cup to be recognized as a professional sport) but when the end of a season grows near even I start yelling at innocent televisions, cheering on my favorite underdog of the moment (usually chosen by how cute their uniforms are). The WDC is certainly not without its own bubble and what’s a world championship event without drama?

Presenting the 2009 WDC Bubble Watch: the Duelists who are on the edge of making it in to the Semi Finals, or very close to losing their coveted spots. The Bubble Watch will run through the end of the event, if you see any of your friends on the page, let them know you’re cheering for (or against?) them. I have had fun watching the page throughout the day and seeing players rise and/or fall through the ranks. As the ladder begins its final countdown later tomorrow, expect that the battle within the Bubble to become very heated. Refresh the page and stay in the know with who’s on the go.

A quick ‘Thank You!’ to all the players who participated in the first-ever Duels contest on Twitter (previously announced here). We gave away Challenge Coins and presented players with concept art images from our upcoming Noble Set VI. Mccord, Etain Tur Mukan, and Street Sweeper Arias each racked up 20 free Challenge Coins. We’ll do similar events in the future, so stay tuned!
- StarryEyed

The Duels forums are a great place to learn and grow as a Duelist. They’re also full of fantastic posts that are entertaining on all levels. Here in the Duels Cave, we love reading what our players write, and want to give something back to our community. Introducing the first edition of Duels Forum Theatre- where what you write is brought to life.

How do we do it? Magic, a cheap microphone, and your creativity.

So turn the lights down low, cozy up, and enjoy our first recording. This is a piece written by The Redeemer in our Battle of the Day thread, based on a real Phyrran fight, as interpreted by Tadius and StarryEyed. Like it? Let us know. Got ideas for future readings? Post in the Duels forums.

Duels Forum Theatre Vol 1.mp3

Sincerely,

StarryEyed

Noble Set VI is coming soon, marking the 18th set release from Duels. As part of the WDC festivities, we’re changing how we handle sneak peeks: posting Noble Set VI concept art throughout the day on Monday, May 18th. These are never before seen images detailing the creation process. These images will be released exclusively through Twitter.

If that isn’t enough to get you excited, we are bundling this in with a contest. We will tweet these Noble Set VI images throughout Monday. When you see those tweets and retweet the link within an hour, you will have a chance to win 20 free Challenge Coins! (How do I retweet?) We will run this contest three times on Monday, with three winners, so you’ll have three chances of winning some coveted Challenge Coins! If you already follow Duels on Twitter, then you’re ready.

Not on Twitter yet? No problem! It’s easy to create a Twitter account and follow Duels. Following Duels on Twitter keeps smart players in the loop with upcoming releases, updates, and more.

The Noble Set VI concept art will be posted this Monday, so join us on Twitter today!