MESQUITE, Texas – March 22, 2005 – In August 2005, QuakeCon, the largest video game festival and tournament in North America, will celebrate a decade of “peace, love, and rockets” with an event that promises video game fans the greatest four days of gaming and entertainment. The 10th Annual QuakeCon will once again draw thousands of people from around world to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, from Aug. 11-14, and is open to video game fans worldwide free of charge.

First-come, first-served online registration for QuakeCon 2005 will begin at 9 p.m. EST on Friday, April 15, 2005, at www.quakecon.org.

“QuakeCon’s 10th anniversary is a historic milestone and a time to celebrate the volunteers, fans, sponsors and games that have driven QuakeCon to become the largest event of its kind,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “We’re going to have the party of a decade, and we want everyone to be there.”

QuakeCon 2005 will be a four-day, 96-hour bash with non-stop gaming, around-the-clock contests, exhibits, entertainment, giveaways, parties and white-knuckle tournament action. With a dedicated area for more than 3,200 BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN gamers, and over 150,000 square feet of total convention space for tournaments, exhibits, conferences and entertainment, QuakeCon 2005 attendance is expected to top last year’s record of nearly 6,000 attendees.

QuakeCon Room Reservations:

To reserve a room, call the Gaylord Texan at 866-782-7897. To receive specially negotiated room rates of $119 for single or double occupancy and $129 for triple or quad occupancy, attendees should mention QuakeCon when making reservations. Additional information regarding the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center is available at http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordtexan.

Sponsorship Information:

For sponsorship opportunities, e-mail sponsors@quakecon.org.

History of QuakeCon:

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2005, QuakeCon has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Often described as the “Woodstock of Gaming,” QuakeCon was created in August of 1996 by a group of friends on the IRC network’s EFnet who had a desire to meet in person. Less than 100 attendees gathered at the Best Western in Garland, Texas that first year to play and talk games and compete in the first QuakeCon tournament. id Software’s lead programmer John Carmack and several other id team members stopped by to chat with fans about DOOM, QUAKE, and the future of an up-and-coming id Software.

Now 10 years older, QuakeCon remains true to its original purpose as an event created by gamers, for gamers. Although sponsored by id Software and other industry-leading software and hardware manufacturers, QuakeCon continues to be run by a dedicated group of 30 year-round volunteers and over 200 on-site volunteers. It expanded its participant base to nearly 6,000 attendees in 2004, and has grown to include QUAKE®, QUAKE II®, QUAKE III Arena®, QUAKE III: Team Arena™, Return to Castle Wolfenstein® and DOOM 3™.

About id Software:

id – Freud's primal part of the human psyche and one of the hottest game shops on Earth – has been rocking the gaming world from Mesquite, Texas, since 1991. As a leader in the industry, id Software forged such frenetic titles as Wolfenstein 3D®, DOOM®, DOOM II®, DOOM 3™, QUAKE® and QUAKE II®. With intense graphics and mind-blowing action, id Software’s games have helped define the modern video game, continually setting new industry standards for technology and gameplay. And, in keeping with tradition, id Software has amplified the world of adrenaline-pumping 3-D gaming with the release of action titles, QUAKE III Arena®, QUAKE III: Team Arena™ and the executive production of Return to Castle Wolfenstein®. The recently released DOOM 3™, the first interactive horror game built on id Software’s revolutionary new 3D graphics engine, draws gamers into the most frightening and gripping 3D gaming experience ever created. Check out more about id Software at www.idsoftware.com.