News Release

For Immediate Release

First Ever 3D Fantasy Football League – RapidDraft Challenges Consumers to Beat the Pros

RapidDraft Full Season, Weekly, and Playoff Fantasy Football Games Featured on USATODAY.com

Kenosha, Wis. (PRWEB) June 16, 2009 - World Fantasy Games (WFG), a global fantasy sports leader, has launched RapidDraft, an innovative 3D draft style fantasy football league targeting the 21 million English and Spanish speaking fantasy football players in North America. RapidDraft is a single user fantasy football game that offers consumers the opportunity to draft and play against 11 real-life fantasy football experts represented online by life-like avatars.

Consumers draft against a group of Fantasy Pros in a 3D sports bar and then compete during an 11-week regular season and five-week post-season to win a guaranteed Grand Prize of $250,000 - all for less than $10 a draft, with no hidden fees. 

WFG Chief Executive Officer Jeff Thomas says, “Our goal was to innovate and to introduce a game that truly stands out as world class. In my 17 years of operating fantasy games, the industry has gone from spreadsheets to PC programs to the phone to the Internet… now the world has RapidDraft! This is definitely the future of fantasy football, combining the fun of a neighborhood draft with the technology and competition of a championship league.  If a fantasy consumer tries it, they’ll be hooked for life.”

RapidDraft will be the featured fantasy football game on USATODAY.com this fall, including a co-branded weekly game named RapidDraft Sports Weekly. Matt Pitzer, USA TODAY’s fantasy football guru and a RD Fantasy Pro said, "I know I would have a difficult time competing against this collection of talent so it should be a great challenge for any fantasy fan. All I know is this… I look forward to finding out if anyone can beat us."  Tony Holm, a RapidDraft Fantasy Pro from FantasySharks.com adds, "RapidDraft is drafting with skin in the game as there's potential for an industry large $250K payday.  The draft room itself is a work of art, definitely worth checking out."

Beyond the user-interface and game design improvements, RapidDraft offers a compelling practice or mock draft tool for consumers wishing to dominate their buddies in a local league. The patent-pending technology features multiple, distinct online Pros created using artificial intelligence, with unique cheat sheets that are updated daily. A couple of quick drafts against the Pros and any fantasy footballer will be ready to use Pro-like moves against mere mortals in their local league.

 “We found a way to eliminate issues typically encountered in a local league,” says Thomas. “First, RapidDraft allows you to pick your own draft position. No longer will you show up at the draft and draw a random draft position that you hate. Second, RapidDraft totally eliminates collusion and quitting. Cheating and dead teams happen in traditional fantasy leagues, but not in RapidDraft. And finally and most importantly, RapidDraft lets you draft right now – any time of day or night, over and over again.”

Similar to poker professionals from ten years ago, many of the RapidDraft Fantasy Football Pros are not household names… yet.  They are, however, very well known in the fantasy sports world. Experts like Matt Pitzer, Scott Engel and Mike Harmon are well-known from past and current stints with USA TODAY, ESPN, CBS, and Fox. And other experienced RapidDraft gurus come from sites like SportsBuff.com, WCOFF.com, Footballguys.com, FantasySharks.com, RotoExperts.com, FFToday.com, FantasyFootballStarters.com, AthlonSports.com, and SwollenDome.com. Meet the Pros online at RapidDraft.com.

Footballguys.com fantasy expert David Dodds expects RapidDraft to be extremely successful. “Our subscribers love to draft and draft and draft again. This is the best live draft module I’ve ever seen. It’s pure fun and it’s addictive. I expect thousands of our loyal Footballguys subscribers to play RapidDraft. My money is on one of our guys to win the $250K.”

Fantasy or reality?  RapidDraft offers the first true reality TV-like prize for fantasy footballers. The 2009 regular season champion not only wins $250,000, they also become a RapidDraft Fantasy Pro for the 2010 football season. For all those fans that think they are experts, they now have a chance to prove it and become a star in the process. The champion slot is managed this year by the #1 ranked fantasy football players in the world (according to WCOFF.com) – the team of Ian Ritchie and Mark Deming.

Thomas launched one of the first fantasy sports game management companies, Sports Buff, in 1993. Since then, research shows the U.S. and Canadian fantasy industry has grown from three million to 30 million. Thomas is a passionate industry advocate, speaking domestically and internationally on the subject, including recent engagements in Germany and Austria. He is a Board Member and past President of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA.org).

RapidDraft is targeted to the core fantasy demographic, the 18 to 49 year old male, with what research has shown is the most popular part of fantasy sports, the draft. Fantasy sports consumers are extremely engaged, spending five to six hours per week following their fantasy football teams. Recent research also finds that fantasy sports consumers are voracious, consuming products like beer, wireless, and electronics at a pace that eclipses even the average sports fan.

About World Fantasy Games

WFG creates fantasy sports games and web sites for brands and corporations worldwide. The company combines two experienced fantasy sports leaders, 17-year industry pioneer Sports Buff, and 9-year fantasy news veterans, Pro Fantasy Sports, with a new global strategic plan. WFG’s game expertise and its robust, multi-language B2B Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) solution are a perfect combination for businesses and brands looking to operate fantasy sports games for profit or promotion. Check-out RapidDraft today or for more information on WFG go to WorldFantasyGames.com.

Contact:

Caitlin Morrall

PR Manager

World Fantasy Games

262-656-6700

Caitlin.Morrall@WorldFantasyGames.com

Jeff Thomas

Chief Executive Officer

World Fantasy Games

262-656-6700

Jeff.Thomas@WorldFantasyGames.com