Terms of Participation

Command & Conquer Ladder Season 3 Competition
2009 Official Rules

 ENTRANTS IN THIS COMPETITION MUST OWN COMMAND & CONQUER RED ALERT 3 AND/OR COMMAND & CONQUER 3 KANE'S WRATH PC GAME SOFTWARE, HAVE REGISTERED THE GAME (AND YOURSELF AS A REGISTERED PLAYER) ON WWW.EA.COM, HAVE A VALID EA ACCOUNT (Free), AND A VALID GAMESPY ID (Free) IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE.

1. Competition - General

 The Command & Conquer Ladder Season 3 (the "Competition") is a competition of skill to determine the best "Solo" player of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 and Command & Conquer 3 Kane's Wrath on our 1v1 ranked ladder. Players may compete in both tournaments.

The regular season of the Competition will open on Friday, May 1st at 1:00PM Pacific Standard Time ("PST") Zone in the United States (e.g. Los Angeles City time) and will close on July 22nd, at 1:00PM PST. A Grand Championship Tournament for the top 32 players in Red Alert 3 and top 32 players in Kane's Wrath who qualified during the regular season will commence online according to the following dates:

PLEASE NOTE: You must be available on the following dates if you qualify for the playoffs during the regular season, and advance during each tournament stage. There will be no exceptions unless the tournament organizers evaluate and approve the situation at their own discretion. We cannot promise any exceptions and reserve the right to accept none. We will take all time zone differences in to account when we specify the tournament start time for each stage listed below.

 Group Stage Round 1 (Top 32)
Group Stage Round 2 (Top 16)
Single Elimination Tournament (Top 8) - The final 2 for Red Alert 3 and Kane's Wrath will be decided during this stage
Grand Finals - The finalists for the Grand Championship for Red Alert 3 and Kane's Wrath will be flown to Cologne, Germany to compete in a live finale at the German GamesCOM Convention. Further details below under prizing. PLEASE NOTE: You must be available to travel to Germany August 20th - 23rd to compete in the Grand Championship. In the event you cannot travel during or around these dates, we will take the next highest ranked player from the Top 8 tournament. Travel dates are subject to modification and change. We will work with the finalists to accomodate depending on your location.

For rules on how to qualify and the tournament structure, please see further down.


IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ENTRANTS: ENTRANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE APPLICABLE CONTEST ENTRY PERIOD TIMES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE TIME ZONES.


2. Restrictions on Participation in Competition

 The Competition is only open to residents of the following countries who are at least the minimum age identified for the country or older: Austria (16 years), Australia (13 years), Belgium (18 years), Brazil (13 years), Bulgaria (16 years), Canada (13 years), China (age 13), Czech Republic (16 years), Denmark (16 years), Finland (18 years), France (16 years), Germany (18 years), Hungary (14 years), Italy (18 years), Korea (14 years), Mexico (18 years), New Zealand (age 13), Norway (18 years), Poland (13 years), Portugal (16 years), Russia (18 years), Singapore (13 years), Spain (14 years), Sweden (16 years), The Netherlands (16 years), Turkey (18 years), United Kingdom (16 years), and the fifty United States and the District of Columbia except residents of AZ, CO, MD, ND, TN, and VT (13 years) provided that, where an entrant has not attained the age of legal majority in her or her state, province, or country of residence, the entrant has obtained the consent of his or her parent or legal guardian to participation in the Competition. Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”) or its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotional agencies, as well as members of their immediate families, are not eligible to participate in the Competition.

In order to participate in the Competition you must own the Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 and/or Command & Conquer 3 Kane's Wrath PC game and have registered it (and yourself as a registered player) on www.ea.com.

You must also: 3. How to participate

 The Competition involves playing matches online with Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 and/or Command & Conquer 3 Kane's Wrath through our online, multiplayer system. Playing matches against other players over the internet in the Competition will generate a user ranking, and user rankings will be used to determine the winners of the Competition. Your user ranking is dependent upon: 1) your win/loss record, and 2) the ranking of the players you play. The higher your win/loss record, and the higher the rank of the opponents you beat, will mean a higher user score. The ranking system is constantly changing as players compete, so, your ranking on the 1v1 ladder is subject to change at any given time. For further information our scoring system, please click here.

To play a match on our 1v1 ranked ladder, you must: 4. Cheating, Abuse and Disorderly Behavior

 Any player may be disqualified immediately from this Competition and, at the discretion of the Promoter, from further EA Online competitions, for any failure to comply with the EA Online Terms or for any cheating, including: Abusive or disorderly behaviour, including any use of harassing, negative, or profane language online, will not be tolerated and will also constitute grounds for immediate disqualification.

5. Tournament Structure and Winner Selection

The winners of the Competition will be determined through a series of 3 qualification rounds during the Regular Season, a 3-weekend Season Ending Online Playoff Tournament, and a live Grand Championship as follows:

Regular Season
  • Qualification Round 1 – May 1 (1:00pm PST) to June 1 (1:00pm PST) - 4 weeks
  • Qualification Round 2 – June 1 (1:01pm PST) to July 1 (1:00pm PST) - 4 weeks
  • Qualification Round 3 – July 1 (1:01pm PST) to July 22 (1:00pm PST) - 3 weeks If a player qualifies twice or more ("Multiple Qualifier), then the next highest ranking player on the "1v1 Ladder" for the Qualification Round in which the Multiple Qualifier earned his or her second and/or third qualification, will qualify for the Season Ending Online Tournament. For example: If the #8 ranked player for Qualification Round 1 was still ranked #8 at the end of the Qualification Round 2, then the #9 ranked player for Qualification Round 2 would qualify for the Season Ending Online Tournament.

    Once a player has ranked in the "Top 8" on the 1v1 Ladder for any Qualification Round, they do not need to continue playing to stay qualified for the Season Ending Online Tournament. We will be resetting the Ladders at the end of each Qualification Round!

    BONUS PRIZE
    However, if a player decides to continue playing and can maintain their "Top 8" ranking for 3 straight Qualification Rounds, then they will win a bonus cash prize of $400 U.S dollars. See below for all prize details.

    Regular Season Playoffs Online Tournament

     The Online Season Ending Tournament will consist of 32 players from Red Alert 3 and 32 players from Kane's Wrath and adhere to the following tournament structure and dates:

    Group Stage Round 1 (Top 32) - 16 will advance
    The Top 32 from Red Alert 3 and Kane's Wrath will each be seeded in to 8 groups of 4 based on their regular season ranking and qualification period. Each player will compete against the 3 others player in their group in a "Best of 3" (maps TBD). The player that wins the "Best of 3" will get 1-point in their group bracket. The two players with the most points in their group bracket will advance to Group Stage Round 2. Group Stage Round 2 (Top 16) - 8 will advance
    The Top 16 from Red Alert 3 and Kane's Wrath Group Stage Round 1 will be re-seeded in to 4 groups of 4. Each player will compete against the 3 others player in their group in a "Best of 3" (maps TBD). The player that wins the "Best of 3" will get 1-point in their group bracket. The two players with the most points in their group bracket will advance to the Single Elimination tournament round. Single Elimination Tournament (Top 8) - 2 will advance
    The final 8 from Red Alert 3 and Kane's Wrath Group Stage Round 2 will be re-seeded in to a single-elimination tournament bracket. Each player must win a "Best of 3" against their opponent to advance in the bracket. The final 2 for Red Alert 3 and the final 2 for Kane's Wrath will advance to the Grand Championship in Cologne, Germany!
    Grand Finals - Friday, August 21
    The final 2 from the Single Elimination Top 8 tournament for Red Alert 3 and Kane's Wrath will be flown to Cologne, Germany to compete in a live finale at the German GamesCOM Convention. Further details below under prizing.

    Once again you must be available on the following dates if you qualify for the playoffs during the regular season, and advance during each tournament stage. There will be no exceptions unless the tournament organizers evaluate and approve the situation at their own discretion. We cannot promise any exceptions and reserve the right to accept none. We will take all time zone differences in to account when we specify the tournament start time for each stage listed below.

    PLEASE NOTE: You must be available to travel to Germany August 20th - 23rd to compete in the Grand Championship. In the event you cannot travel during these dates, we will take the next highest ranked player from the Top 8 tournament. Travel dates are subject to modification and change. We will work with the finalists to accomodate depending on your location.


    6. Prizes

     Prizes will be awarded in each tournament to the Grand Champion and Runner Up in the Grand Championship, and the (2) Runner Up's of the Season Ending Online Tournament as follows:

    Red Alert 3 Prize Specifications
    1. Grand Champion Prize: One (1) USD $4,000 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention (approximate retail value USD $6000.00)

    2. Runner Up Prize: One (1) USD $1,000.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention (approximate retail value USD $5000.00)

    3. Runner Up Prize (2): (1) USD $250.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack (approximate retail value USD $700.00)

     Kane's Wrath Prize Specifications
    1. Grand Champion Prize: One (1) USD $2,000 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention (approximate retail value USD $8000.00)

    2. Runner Up Prize: One (1) USD $1,000.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention (approximate retail value USD $5000.00)

    3. Runner Up Prize (2): (1) USD $250.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack (approximate retail value USD $700.00)

     In addition to these prizes, anyone who qualifies for the Season Ending Online Tournament will receive an exclusive Command & Conquer T-shirt.

    If any player maintains a rank in the "Top 8" at the end of all 3 Qualification Rounds, they will win a $400 cash prize.

    By accepting his/her prize, the winner authorises EA and its subsidiaries, the company by which it is controlled, its successors in title, licensees and assignees, and present and future subcontractors, to determine, use, publish and exploit all or any of the information provided on the entry form, particularly his or her surname and forenames, in the list of winners, for advertising, commercial, marketing or promotional purposes relating directly or indirectly to the Competition and/or EA (including all forms of promotion, particularly public relations operations, interviews, press kits, articles and press releases and cross promotions) using any existing media, particularly paper, audiovisual, electrical, electronic or magnetic media. Such use of personal data will not give rise to any rights other than the prize won.

    7. Travel Requirements if you advance to the Grand Championship in Cologne, Germany

    If you advance to the Grand Championship in Cologne, Germany you must adhere to the following. If a player is unable to comply with the following we reserve the right to cancel your qualfication and select the next highest ranking player.. 8. Winner Notification

     All prize winners will be notified via email at the end of the Competition. Emails will be sent to the email addresses recorded for players' EA online accounts. A full list of the prize winners will be available at www.commandandconquer.com by no later than [Sept 1, 2009].

    Unless satisfactory proof of age is received and, in the case of players who have not attained the age of legal majority in his or her country of residence, unless parental consent is also received, the Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any prize winner and select another player to receive the prize that the disqualified player would have been awarded were it not for his or her disqualification.

    You agree that as a condition to being awarded any prize, you may be required to take part in marketing and publicity initiatives without further consent or payment. Such publicity and marketing may include your name and/or likeness and city, or alternatively your user-name and city.

    8. Data protection

     In becoming a member of EA Online, you agreed to the terms of EA's Privacy Policy. Any personal information collected from or about you in connection with this Competition will be subject to the terms of EA's Privacy Policy. All of your personal information will be stored in the USA. Though EA may share your personal information with EA affiliates in countries with varying personal data protection laws, account data is always protected by EA’s Privacy Policy. EA and EA affiliates use account data to administer accounts, provide information of interest, administer competitions and promotions, and to communicate with account holders. Account holders may opt out of receiving marketing materials by changing their account preferences at any time. More information about how EA uses account data and account holder related rights can be found in the EA Online Privacy Policy at http://www.ea.com/global/legal/privacy_noseal.jsp or localized policy.

    9. EA Online Terms and Conditions

     Your participation in the Competition is also governed by the EA Online Terms and Conditions found at http://legal.ea.com/legal/legal.jsp?language=en. Please select your language from the drop down menu for your local terms and conditions. You agreed to the EA Online Terms and Conditions when you created your EA Account.  Remember that when you track your statistics and rankings in the Competition, you’re automatically granting EA the right to publish and otherwise use your statistics and rankings for the Competition, and for other related purposes (such as for marketing and promotional purposes). 

    If there is any conflict between these Terms of Participation and the EA Online Terms and Conditions, then the EA Online Terms and Conditions will take precedence to the extent of that conflict.

    10. General Conditions.

     By participating in the Competition, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by any other requirements set out in the promotional material, which may be amended or varied at any time by EA, and you reaffirm you agreement to be bound by EA Online Terms and Conditions. If you are a resident of Austria and you do not wish to agree to these Official Rules, you have seven (7) calendar days from your date of registration to inform EA that you withdraw from the competition. If no such communication is received, you will be bound by these Official Rules.

    In the event of a dispute concerning the Competition, EA’s decision shall be final and legally binding. No correspondence will be entered into. To the extent permitted by law, entrants and winners assume sole liability and accept all risk of loss for injuries, including personal injuries and/or damage to property, caused or claimed to be caused by participating in this Competition or the acceptance, possession, shipping and handling, loss, use or misuse of, or travel in connection with the Competition or any prize awarded. If there is a dispute regarding the identity of an entrant, the entry will be deemed submitted by the person in whose name the entrant’s email account is registered. Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or amend the Competition at any time for any or no reason. Any amendments to the Competition shall be effective when we make the notification available to you. Your continued participation in the Competition shall constitute your continued acceptance to be bound by the Official Rules and any modifications thereof.

    Sponsor is not responsible for electronic transmission errors including those affecting the competition web sites, resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission. Sponsor is not responsible for theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entries, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind. Sponsor is not responsible for inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive entry information by Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site or any combination thereof. If for any reason the Competition is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Competition. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Competition. Sponsor reserves the right to select winners from eligible entries as of the termination date. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry or game play process.

    If any part(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.

    11. Winners List

     A full list of the prize winners will be available at www.commandandconquer.com by no later than 10 days after the Grand Prize Winner has been determined and verified, available for a period of up to 30 days.

    12. Sponsor

     The Sponsor for this Competition is Electronic Arts, Inc. 209 Redwood Shores Parkway. Redwood City, CA 94065 ("EA" or "Sponsor"). The Competition is governed by and is in accordance with the laws of the state of California in the United States of America.

    A copy of these Official Rules will be mailed free of charge to anyone requesting them. Postage for the request will be refunded at the economic postage rate, upon request made simultaneously with the request for the Rules. In order to request a copy of these Rules, please contact the Sponsor in writing at the above address.

    © 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.