SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - November 22, 2010) - Lamborghinis and Teslas and Ferraris -- oh my! AskMen, the leading men's lifestyle site, and SCVNGR, the social game all about going places, doing challenges and earning points, are bringing PlayStation's highly-anticipated racing game, Gran Turismo® 5, to life in the "Race Through the Bay Challenge" -- an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt that will have fans navigating the streets of San Francisco, competing in real-life challenges inspired by the game. The event is part of a growing effort by AskMen to go beyond-the-pixel and engage users with brands in real-world ways.
"We're always looking to bring innovative ideas to brands trying to reach male audiences. SCVNGR was an ideal partner to execute on our concept for a race/treasure hunt that lets fans do more than just play the game -- we let them live it," said Armando Gomez, Director of Advertising & Promotions, AskMen.
"We're stoked to be working with AskMen to bring Gran Turismo 5 to life in true luxury style -- and what better way to celebrate than with a real race around the city?" said Michael Hagan, Chief Rockstar of SCVNGR. "SCVNGR is all about the convergence of mobile technology and real-world game elements. This is a great example of how companies can leverage the game layer that SCVNGR is building on top of the world."
Luxury vehicles showcased in the game -- Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Teslas, Nissans and more -- will be featured in 36 challenges at 13 checkpoints positioned at landmark locations around San Francisco -- the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, the Painted Ladies and more.
Fans participating in the scavenger hunt will be required to complete a variety of tasks -- snap a photo of a specific landmark, send text messages answering questions, scan a bar code or post to a social network -- and the Grand Prize Winner will take home a Le Mans Membership to Club Sportiva, offering inside access to drive the hottest sports cars around.
Later that evening, AskMen will host an exclusive party for Gran Turismo 5, where fans can hang with people behind Gran Turismo 5 and play the game before its release on November 24, exclusively available for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™).
For more information on Gran Turismo 5, please log onto http://us.gran-turismo.com/.
For further details about the "Race Through the Bay" event, please visit: http://www.askmen.com/microsites/race-through-the-bay/.
About AskMen
AskMen, a unit of News Corp. Digital Media, is the world's leading men's lifestyle web site. An online resource for men with daily features on subjects such as fashion, fitness, dating, money, and entertainment, AskMen has the widest online audience reach in the "Men's Lifestyle" category in comparison with all other websites, attracting 13 million unique visits from the U.S. per month, and 16 million monthly visitors globally, according to Omniture. A foremost content provider with an archive of more than 60,000 articles available for free online, AskMen updates daily and publishes over 300 new features a month. Available in 12 cities worldwide, its local A-List newsletter product has more than 1.7 million subscribers. AskMen has content partnerships with the likes of Yahoo!, Cosmopolitan.com, Sports Illustrated.com and more.
About SCVNGR
SCVNGR is a game. Playing is simple: Go places. Have fun and share with your friends. Check-in, snap pics, do the social check-in or try a challenge! Everywhere you go, you'll earn points and start unlocking real-world rewards at over 12,000 locations (think free ice cream!). SCVNGR makes it easy to share where you are and what you're up to with your friends on SCVNGR, Facebook and Twitter. Start playing SCVNGR by downloading our free iPhone & Android app. SCVNGR is funded by Google Ventures and Highland Capital Partners. Visit www.scvngr.com to learn more.
About the Gran Turismo® Franchise
With more than 56 million units shipped worldwide, the award-winning Gran Turismo® franchise for the PlayStation®, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) is regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulator ever created due to its true-to-life graphics, authentic physics technology and design. Since the inception of the Gran Turismo franchise, famed creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Inc. in Japan have revolutionized the racing category as we know it today. His offerings provide the most realistic driving simulation in the industry and a unique medium for automotive manufacturers to showcase their products.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated all Gran Turismo® properties "E" for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB, please visit www.esrb.org.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system and its online and network services PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store.
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 3 and the PSP system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Contact Information:
Media Contacts:
LaunchSquad for SCVNGR
Chantal LeBoulch or Emilie Cole
Scvngr [at] launchsquad [dot] com
Boston: 617-945-1915
San Francisco: 415-625-8555
Kris Sharbaugh for AskMen
Ksharbaugh [at] askmen [dot] com
415-519-6526