XBox 360 Rally

So you may have heard that Microsoft and Doritos are teaming up to give you, the average Joe-American gamer, an opportunity at fabulous prizes! Here is how it goes: You come up with a Doritos-inspired idea for an Xbox Live game. Should your idea not suck, you may very well be in line to become one of five finalists who will have their games actually be developed into playable demos that will go online for you all to vote on. Winning voter gets their game turned into an Xbox Live game! Read after the break for that press release… thingy…

DORITOS AND MICROSOFT CHALLENGE FANS TO DESIGN THE FIRST-EVER CONSUMER-CREATED XBOX LIVE ARCADE GAME FOR THE XBOX 360

Select Doritos Video Game Concepts Will Be Voted On By Gaming Fans With One Idea To Be Developed By Xbox For Release in 2008

Plano, TX (June 21, 2007) — The Doritos brand announced today that it is once again putting Doritos fans in control by partnering with Xbox 360 to let them design the first-ever consumer-created Xbox LIVE Arcade video game. Together, the two brands are challenging people in the United States to think of an idea that takes the spirit of the Doritos tortilla chips brand and brings it to life on the Xbox 360. Five finalists will get to work side-by-side with Xbox LIVE Arcade development teams to build playable versions of their game concept which will be available online at www.snackstrongproductions.com. In addition, each finalist will also receive a prize package for their creativity, valued at over $6,000. In late October and early November, visitors to the site will have a chance to play working versions of the five finalists’ games and vote for the one game concept they want to see developed for release.

Consumer votes will determine the winning game concept, announced in November 2007, to be developed by Xbox 360. Once released in summer 2008, fans everywhere will be able to download and play the first-ever consumer-created Xbox LIVE Arcade game for free.

Doritos-inspired video game ideas can be submitted at www.snackstrongproductions.com between June 21 and July 29, 2007. Submissions must describe an original idea for a Doritos-inspired video game in no more than 500 words along with any other original elements or components gamers would like to have considered as part of their entry, to help describe, depict or illustrate the original idea. Beginning today, additional details about the creative challenge are available at www.snackstrongproductions.com.

“Doritos fans continue to tell us how excited they are to be part of, and personalize, what is important to them,” explains Ann Mukherjee, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. “Similar to past Doritos programs that put consumers in control, we hope ‘Unlock Xbox’ gives people a chance to express their own creativity, this time in the innovative world of gaming.”

Giving video game fans and Doritos chip-lovers everywhere even more reason to get in the game, between August 20 and November 18, 2007, visitors to www.snackstrongproductions.com will have a chance to instantly win great prizes including Xbox 360 consoles, Xbox Live Gold subscriptions and more with two consecutive online promotions. Promotion details, including rules, will be available on www.snackstrongproductions.com during the respective promotion periods.

“We are always looking for new ways to connect with Xbox fans and give them unique opportunities for expressing their creativity that only Xbox 360 and our partners can deliver,” said Mike Fischer, General Manager, US Marketing, Xbox. “With millions of gamers already engaging in Xbox Live fan forums and communities, we extend an invitation to them to jump in with their ideas for a fun, new Xbox LIVE Arcade game.”

The “Unlock Xbox” campaign is the evolution of the Doritos brand allowing consumers to be in control. Earlier this year, the Doritos brand aired two consumer-created commercials during Super Bowl XL as part of the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” challenge. These two ads kicked-off the first-ever consumer-created Doritos brand television ad campaign, in which all five of the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” finalists’ ads aired on national television. Following Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl,” the brand launched the Doritos “Fight for the Flavor” campaign to let Doritos fans vote to determine which of two new flavors survives on store shelves and which one gets pulled. Recently, the brand launched the Doritos “X-13D Flavor Experiment,” where consumers have a chance to name the new mysterious flavor of Doritos tortilla chips by entering their ideas at www.snackstrongproductions.com.

Frito-Lay North America is the $10 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo divisions include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Doritos, contest