I received a couple of e-mails recently asking about details on how the 2009 Big Buck World Championships went down a couple of weeks ago but I hadn’t heard anything about it until today. You might recall that there were two national tournaments that occurred at the same time – one for BBHPro(the night before the tournament it was revealed that this tournament would take place using the new Open Season update) and the other on Big Buck Safari. When all was said and done, two brothers walked away with the $10,000 prize, Nick Berg for BBHPro and Jerad Berg (who also won last year’s national tournament) on Safari. For more details on the event, see the press release after the post break(updated with a corrected press release).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The 2009 Big Buck World Champions Have Been Crowned
The 2009 Big Buck Hunter® Pro and Big Buck Safari® World Championships came to a close with a bang in Chicago, IL on Saturday, October 17th. When the smoke cleared we were left with two World Champions, one for Big Buck Hunter® Pro and one for Big Buck Safari®. Jerad Berg, last year’s Big Buck Hunter® Pro World Champ, battled his way to 
become the 2009 Big Buck Safari® World Champion. His younger brother Nick Berg became the 2009 Big Buck Hunter® Pro World Champion. Besides the obvious bragging rights that they now have, they each walked away with $10,000 and their names on their respective game’s World Championship Trophy; Pappy’s Jug for Big Buck Hunter® Pro and King Shaka’s Tusk for Big Buck Safari®.
Jerad and Nick, both from Minnesota, weren’t the only ones that left with prize money. Every player out of the 64 spots that competed in the World Championship walked away with prize money and a great story to tell. There were players from all across the country and one player even came in from Australia to compete and they all qualified by playing online tournaments. The players included men and women (one woman finished in 6th place), old and young (oldest 52, youngest 22), true hunters and video game hunters. Not everyone could become the World Champion, but the CoinUp crew made sure that everyone had an incredible time and that everyone left Chicago glad that they came and would want to come back next year.
In addition to the tournament, the players gathered the night before at a cocktail party put on by Play Mechanix™/Raw Thrills™. There was food, open bar, and a big news announcement. The 2009 Big Buck Hunter® Pro World Championship came with a little twist. The players were told that they were going to be competing against each other the next day on Big Buck Hunter® Pro Open Season™, a newly released update to Big Buck Hunter® Pro. Big Buck Hunter® Pro Open Season™ has three brand new animals complete with new bonus rounds along with all of the original 6 animals. The games were on free play and the players were given the opportunity to practice the new animals all night in preparation for the tournament the next day. The players, of course, took full advantage of this and got as much practice in as they could.
The competition was high and there were plenty of prizes, money, and trophies given away. Dave Snipes, CoinUp Manager noted, “The event was more than just a tournament, it was a gathering of all things Big Buck. Players brought their friends and family to cheer them on, the people behind the creation of the game came out to witness the crowning of a new champ, some Coin-Operated Industry veterans came out to experience the event, and everyone got to meet some of the other players from across the country that constantly have their names plastered on the tournament leaderboards.” The Big Buck Girls were on hand, there was great food and an open bar, and an overall exciting atmosphere that created the perfect environment for the 2009 Big Buck World Championships. Snipes continues, “The World Championships couldn’t have gone any better and we can’t wait to throw this big party again next year.”
The Big Buck World Championships were a great success and a huge congratulations and thank you goes out to all of the players, operators, friends, and family that came out to compete and support the event. Next year is going to be just as big. Don’t miss your opportunity to take part. Get your games online so that your players have a chance to qualify!!! Contact Ryan Cravens at rcravens@playmechanix.com to get your free CoinUp® Kit.
About Play Mechanix, Inc.
Play Mechanix™, Inc. was founded in 1995 by former Midway Games game designer George Petro as a creator of coin-operated entertainment products. In a little over a decade, Play Mechanix™ has created over 30 titles for the Arcade, Bar and Casino industries including the best-selling video hunting series Big Buck Hunter®, Big Buck Safari® and Deal or No Deal®. Play Mechanix™ is currently producing the CoinUp® online tournament system for use with Big Buck Hunter® Pro, Big Buck Safari®, and beyond. In June of 2006 Play Mechanix merged with Raw Thrills, Inc.
