From Xbox 360 Press:
In fact, up to 200,000 people tune in to play 1 vs 100 on Xbox LIVE every day around the globe. Yes, every single day! In one evening alone, more than 215,000 people in Europe and 230,000 in people North America dressed their Avatars to compete in 1 vs 100.
And, up to 114,000 contestants have competed simultaneously in 1 vs 100 Live shows in North America, effectively beating the Guinness Book of World Record holder in the most game show contestants – single TV show category. Up to 79,000 contestants have competed simultaneously in 1 vs 100 Live shows in the UK and Ireland.
The Xbox 360 1 Vs. 100 shows were an interesting experiment, noth in gaming and in marketing. Events would take place every weekend, with a live host joining in on the action.
Prizes would be given out to top players, and this season is wrapping up with a few guests, including nerd goddess Felicia Day and Shadow Complex creative director Donald Mustard — David Letterman, this is not.
It is a great look at how many people would get together for a concerted event, as the game wasn t playable any time, whenever you wanted. Gamers actually had to wait for the shows to start at regular 30-minute intervals that would normally take place from 6:30 p.m. to midnight.
If these numbers are correct, it proves that gamers will indeed wait for a more communal experience (the live shows are truly innovative), and they’ll even watch advertising while doing so (Sprint is this season s main sponsor, with video commercials running a few times per show).
Check it out this weekend before the season wraps up. We ll be curious to see how quickly this comes back, and if Microsoft finds it successful enough to try other games in this format.
