The demo goes out Feb. 5; these codes will get you in on Jan. 29. MLG's asking entrants to just post in a thread on one of their forums and the winners will be chosen at random. Of course, that requires you to register an account there, so you can see where MLG is going with this.

Still, if you're that pumped about Halo Wars, head on over to MLG and post your FIRST!s — although they only allow one post per person, so don't go in there responding to everyone and thinking that improves your chances.

Enter to Win Exclusive Early Access to the Halo Wars Demo! [Major League Gaming, thanks Bigsauce]

I don't know MLG's financials but, usually, you don't get another round of funding because you're insanely profitable. At least it's from one of MLG's original partners, Oak Investment Partners, which gave them $25 mil back in 2006. But it is growing — even if the three- and four-figure growth percentages it quotes mean it was starting with comparatively small numbers.

Here is MLG's full press release. Note the leet online broadcast audience growth:

Major League Gaming, the professional video game league, announced it has received a $7.5 million follow-on investment from Oak Investment Partners. MLG’s explosive growth in online and live audience, as well as its continued success in attracting major sponsors, has made it the premier competitive video gaming property in the world.
“MLG has become a cultural phenomenon, and the management team has made competitive gaming really matter for pros, fans, and marketers,” said Ed Glassmeyer, managing partner, Oak Investment Partners. “We have great confidence that the company will continue this path to success and that the challenging economic environment will provide new opportunities for investment and growth.”

“We set out to build the first digital sport the world had ever seen. From the beginning, Oak has been there to provide the capital and expertise to enable us to create a global, cross-platform business to support that vision,” said Matthew Bromberg, president and CEO of Major League Gaming.

2008 was a breakout year for Major League Gaming as its sports media business saw triple- and-quadruple digit growth:

• 1337% year-over-year growth in its online broadcast audience, with 503,000 unique men under 30 watching the Dallas Playoffs in early October

• 4.4 million online matches played in 2008, up 625% over 2007

• 7.0 million unique users each month according to Google Analytics, up 109% over 2007

• An average of 15,000 attendees at each of the live competitions in 2008, up 500% over 2007.

Major League Gaming

Founded in 2002, Major League Gaming (MLG) is the dominant media property exclusively targeting the approximately 40 million consumers in North America who have a passion for playing video games as a competitive social activity. The company exclusively represents the best professional gamers and gives millions of aspiring gamers around the world an opportunity to compete, improve their skills, and socialize through our thriving online competitive community and live Pro Circuit competitions. MLG sponsorship partners include Dr Pepper, GameStop, HP, Old Spice, Ballpark, Panasonic, Stride, Ubisoft, Bungie and Xbox 360. For more information: www.mlgpro.com.

Major League Gaming Secures Additional Funding [Daily Games News]

"Teams can trade or recruit free agents, but rosters lock before tournaments begin. We also have a coach, Zac Lammie. Before matches he studies the gameplay of opponents, and during events he roams behind us, keeping us coordinated and monitoring our power-ups. We make fun of him because we're better than him at the game, but he knows more about Halo than anybody."

Here are five of the 11 points. Make sure to check out ESPN's interview below for the rest!

1. EVERYONE IS WELCOME. "There are 16 pro teams in MLG, but you have to win to keep the tag. Most events have two brackets, amateur and pro. As many as 256 teams—four guys to a team—can enter the amateur bracket. If you finish in the top 16, you advance to the pro level and start to earn points. The 16 teams with the most points get to be the pros at the next event. I've been pro since 2003."

2. WE STICK TO OUR STRENGTHS. "My team, Str8 Rippin, competes in Halo 3, which is like the Texas hold 'em of MLG. Everyone has a specialty. Eric 'Snipedown' Wrona is good with a sniper, Bryan 'Legit' Rizzo handles objective work, such as capturing the flag, and Kyle 'ElamiteWarrior' Elam can do it all. I'm the oldest, at 21, so I try to lead."

3. PRACTICE? YEAH, A BIT. "My teammates live all over the country, so sometimes we fly to meet up. We practice by scrimmaging against other teams on Xbox Live anywhere from eight to 16 hours a day. But we've played together so much, we know how to win. It's mostly a matter of outsmarting the other guys."

4. PRO GAMING IS FLUSH. "Str8 Rippin is sponsored by Dr Pepper, and I'm sponsored by Panasonic. In addition to the money, they fulfill our needs for stuff like new equipment and hotel suites. But that's icing on the cake, considering the travel stipends MLG gives the pro teams and the money we make from tournaments. First prize at the national championships in Vegas will be $100,000. If you're good, you can easily make six figures."

5. THE FACE OF GAMING IS CHANGING. "Most MLG players don't fit the stereotype. For one, we're athletic; I try to stay in shape, not just for appearance and health reasons but for confidence when I play. There are also more female gamers. Bonnie 'Xena' Burton was first. She proved girls could compete with guys. And she's great in interviews."

11 things you should know about being a pro gamer (ESPN)

You can register for the tourney all day today and a chunk of tomorrow, but they only have a set number slots to fill, so if you're interested get to it. The tournament itself will kick off Friday at 12:30 p.m. and wrap up Saturday night.

More importantly Hideo Kojima will be around Friday at the booth from 10 a.m. to noon to autograph things. Hit up the jump for the full schedule, game setting and break-down of prizes.

ROOM LOCATION:
Metal Gear Online Tournament
Mezzanine Level Room #16A

DATES AND TIMES:
July 24, Thursday
SHOW HOURS 9:00AM - 7:00PM
All day (until full) MLG, MGO Tournament registration, at booth front desk

July 25, Friday
SHOW HOURS 9:00AM - 7:00PM
All day (until full) MLG, MGO Tournament registration, at booth front desk

• 10:00AM - 12:00PM KOJIMA, MGO Tournament Room Signing for Kojima

• 12:00PM - 12:30PM KOJIMA, Kojima intro at beginning of tournament

• 12:30PM - 6:30PM MGO Tournament play

• 12:30PM - 1:00PM Round 1 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:00PM - 1:30PM Round 2 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:30PM - 2:00PM Round 3 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:00PM - 2:30PM Round 4 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:30PM - 3:00PM Round 5 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:00PM - 3:30PM Round 6 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:30PM - 4:00PM Round 7 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:00PM - 4:30PM Round 8 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:30PM - 5:00PM Round 9 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 5:00PM - 5:30PM Round 10 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 5:30PM - 6:00PM Round 11 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 6:00PM - 6:30PM Round 12 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

July 26, Saturday
SHOW HOURS 9:00AM - 7:00PM

All day (until full) MLG, MGO Tournament registration, at booth front desk

• 10:00AM - 6:30PM MGO Tournament play

• 10:00AM - 10:30AM Round 13 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 10:30AM - 11:00AM Round 14 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 11:00AM - 11:30AM Round 15 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 11:30AM - 12:00PM Round 16 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 12:30PM - 1:00PM Round 17 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:00PM - 1:30PM Round 18 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:30PM - 2:00PM Round 19 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:00PM - 2:30PM Round 20 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:30PM - 3:00PM Round 21 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:00PM - 3:30PM Round 22 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:30PM - 4:00PM Round 23 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:00PM - 4:30PM Round 24 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:30PM - 5:00PM Round 25 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 5:00PM - 6:00PM Finals setup

• 6:00PM - 7:00PM Finals (8 players, 1 round of FFA deathmatch, up to 3 round of team [4 ea])

July 27, Sunday
SHOW HOURS 8:45AM - 5:00PM

MGO GAME SETTINGS:

ROUND SETTINGS:
Rule type: Deathmatch
Map: Midtown Maelstrom
Round Time: 20mins
Max Number of Characters: 8
Rounds: 1
DP Enabled: No
Skills allowed: No
User characters allowed: No

FINALS SETTINGS:
Rule type: Deathmatch
Map: Midtown Maelstrom
Round Time: 20mins
Max Number of Characters: 8
Rounds: 1
DP Enabled: No
Skills allowed: No
User characters allowed: No

FINALS TEAM EXHIBITION SETTINGS:
Rule type: Team Deathmatch
Map: Ambush Alley
Round Time: 15mins
Tickets: 99
Max Number of Characters: 8 (4v4)
Rounds: 3 (best 2 of)
DP Enabled: No
Skills allowed: No
User characters allowed: No

PRIZE PACKAGES:

Finals Winners:

1st place:
• Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition PS3 hardware bundle

• Special Metal Gear® Online Poster

• $1000

2nd Place
• Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 game

• Special Metal Gear® Online Poster

• $500

3rd Place
• Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 game

• Special Metal Gear® Online Poster

• $250

Team Exhibition winners
• Special Metal Gear Online poster

All finalists
• Metal Gear Solid 4 Strategy Guide

• Metal Gear Solid 4 T-Shirt

• Metal Gear Solid 4 Dog Tags

Round Winners
• 2 winners each round - $50 gift card

• Metal Gear Solid 4 Dog Tags

Bungie offered no word on when specifically it will drop. MLG's site has some low-res shots of the event (camera shots of the monitor). You can at least make out the chilly, blue-hued, nitrogen-spewing environment familiar to the original Chill Out. Three more pics after the jump, and more in MLG's gallery.

Bungie Makes World Premiere of Chill Out Remake at MLG San Diego [Major League Gaming]

ESPN will be on hand at all of this year's MLG Pro Circuit Competitions, with coverage appearing online at ESPN360.com at the very least. Thrilling, no? The prospect of hearing from your favorite wispy virtual athletes with extremely toned thumbs? Sign us up!

Additionally, we've signed a content agreement with the press release. Our contractual obligation is after the jump.

ESPN Enters Content Agreement With Major League Gaming

ESPN.com, the leading online sports destination, today announced it has entered a content agreement with Major League Gaming (MLG), the leading professional video game league.

ESPN will serve as a primary outlet for news about MLG, providing extensive digital coverage of MLG's 2008 Pro Circuit Competitions, including exclusive streamed matches, pro player interviews, and scores and stats. Additionally, MLG will host ESPN co-branded online video game tournaments.

ESPN will be on site at each of the 2008 MLG Pro Circuit Competitions, reporting news from its own coverage booth for various ESPN programs and platforms, including ESPN360.com, ESPN's signature broadband sports network.

Additionally, ESPN.com will launch a competitive video gaming section (http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/mlg ) replete with all of the latest news, information and video as it relates to competitive gaming. The section will include background on MLG, interviews with marquee players, video from past competitions and the ESPN/MLG Top Ten, which includes regularly updated video highlighting top game play from MLG pros and players. ESPN.com will announce details of MLG's 2008 Pro Circuit season in the coming weeks.

"ESPN is committed to serving our fans, and we recognize the growing popularity of pro video gaming," said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN digital media. "Adding MLG content to our already comprehensive offering will help us continue to deliver the best news, information and entertainment to our growing gaming audience."

"Pro video gaming offers sports fans everything they love about sports—great teams, break-out personalities and stars, and exciting competition," said Matthew Bromberg, President and CEO of Major League Gaming. "MLG's digital properties now reach over four million fans a month, and millions more follow the League on TV, mobile devices, and X-Box Live. We're excited to build upon that audience with ESPN."

ESPN.com's video game section (ESPNVideogames.com) is the leading online destination for the latest sports gaming news, analysis, reviews, rankings, video, teasers, cheats, podcasts and the home of game simulations (including Madden, NCAA Football, NBA Live and NASCAR).

About ESPN

ESPN, Inc. is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company with over 50 business entities. Sports media assets include ESPN on ABC, six domestic cable television networks, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and other growing businesses, including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Products (wireless), ESPN On Demand, ESPN Interactive and ESPN PPV.

About Major League Gaming
Major League Gaming is North America's first professional videogame league, and its only sanctioning body for pro gaming. MLG operates the multi-city MLG Pro Circuit, presented by GameStop and powered by Xbox 360; produces compelling competitions for national television, broadband and mobile distribution; and exclusively represents the best gamers in the world. It also operates a thriving online community and online tournaments for millions of gamers at mlgpro.com. MLG, founded in 2002, is based in New York City and is privately held.

"We are thrilled about the opportunity to bring Major League Gaming to this high-profile event," said Matthew Bromberg, CEO of Major League Gaming. "It's important for all of us in the video game community to support this great new way of reaching consumers and to showcase the phenomenon of top-flight competitive gaming."

MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING TO HOST OPEN VIDEO GAME COMPETITION AT E FOR ALL EXPO

Leading Pro Gaming League Creates Exclusive Post-Season Event Featuring Country's Top Pro Gamers

Framingham, MA, and New York City - September 19, 2007 - IDG World Expo today announced that Major League Gaming (MLG), the leader in competitive video gaming, has taken the reins on the centerpiece gaming tournament at the new Entertainment for AllTM Expo (E for AllTM) video game expo, scheduled to take place October 18-21, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Major League Gaming will create a special post-season tournament exclusively for E for All on the heels of its own championship tournament in Las Vegas the prior weekend. With thousands of dollars in cash prizes, MLG's E for All tournament will feature pro players and teams battling alongside aspiring amateurs. The event will also feature special MLG Pro appearances and an interactive session to help gamers "Get Better First™" on top titles.

"We are thrilled about the opportunity to bring Major League Gaming to this high-profile event," said Matthew Bromberg, CEO of Major League Gaming. "It's important for all of us in the video game community to support this great new way of reaching consumers and to showcase the phenomenon of top-flight competitive gaming."

"We've said it before, and we'll say it again: E for All is about one thing - games, games and games. Competitive gaming is a central part of that game experience, and we couldn't be happier to team up with Major League Gaming to allow E for All attendees to participate in the excitement and energy of competitive game play with some of the best, most talented gamers in the field today," said Mary Dolaher, CEO, IDG World Expo. "Whether you're a casual gamer or a seasoned player, the MLG tournament will keep you on the edge of your seat with incredible action and amazing game play."

That anyone has ever made a living off of gaming is just a marvel to me. I mean, we Kotaku bloggers squeak by: off-hours, Crecente is a journalist, Eliza's a goth singer, Ashcraft's a hobo and I am heavily involved in Ireland's Chinese orphan black market. But man can not subsist on games alone.

But apparently subterranean basement dwellers can. Otherwise known as 'professional gamers'. There's still companies out there trying to market these guys as athletes, and Major League Gaming has just signed Final Boss Team (not pictured), a group of hard-core Halo 2 clanners, to a $1M+ contract.

Of course, they're not all millionaires... the five guys will be paid $250,000 each over the next three years. Not enough to go to bed in a pile of money or snort cocaine off of Paris Hilton's posterior, but certainly enough money to justify a life of gaming, sloth and muscular atrophy. Florian Eckhardt

Play Halo, Get Rich [Kikizo]

MLG Lands $10 mln in Funding]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=156258&view=rss&microfeed=true

It was really only a matter of time before competitive video gaming at least tried to make its way to the television. Major League Gaming hired Neal Pilson, one time head of CBS Sports to help peddle tournaments to networks. According to Games Industry MLG is looking to extend further beyond its one-off events with MTV and ESPN. When I saw Video on Demand (MLG's game watching app) I figured it was only a matter of time before we'd be watching the Halo 2 championships on TV.

TV Network Deals Sought for Major League Gaming Events [Games Industry]