September 21^st, 2005 (4:20pm) - For the first time in the seven-year history of the game, Pump It Up players from across the United States will be gathering in Concord, North Carolina for the first annual National Pump It Up Competition. Sponsored by Andamiro, Mastiff, and Jillian’s, this event will decide who goes on to represent the U.S. in the World Pump Festival later this year in Seoul, Korea, where players will compete for over $30,000 in cash prizes.

Developed by Andamiro, and a smash hit in Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America, Pump It Up is the dance game known for allowing players to actually dance as opposed to the stepping featured in other so-called dance games.

Video game publisher Mastiff released Pump It Up: Exceed for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 to retail stores throughout North America on August 31, 2005.

The National Competition will consist of four separate tournaments called Divisions. Three of the Divisions match the different difficulty levels in the Pump It Up game: Hard, Crazy, and Freestyle. The Fourth Division has been created especially for the home console release of Pump It Up, Pump It Up: Exceed. Prizes for each Division include cash, exclusive tournament-only Pump It Up merchandise, and other sponsored prizes. Sony Computer Entertainment America takes no responsibility for this offer. For more information on the National Competition go to www.PumpCS.com.

"A national competition is something Pump players have been wanting for years. We’re looking forward to taking the best American Pump It Players to Korea in November and hopefully returning home with the title," says James "Smidget" DeVito, official Pump It Up ambassador and top U.S. Freestyler.