Cities XL allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles. The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate. Players must create the right combinations of social services, leisure activities, special events and other job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, clothe, employ and entertain their citizens. Be it planning and building a new zoo, public park, residential neighborhood or transit system - there's always a fresh and exciting challenge for would-be city managers and mayors in Cities XL.

Point, Shoot... Win! Contest

• Do you have a camera?
• Do you want your favorite Cit Hall to be part of CITIES XL?

If you answered "Yes!" to the above questions, then you should enter our new “Point, Shoot... Win!” contest and have a chance to see your home or one of your neighborhood buildings in CITIES XL at release.

From November 17th to November 30th, members of the CITIES XL community are be able to post their images of their favorite City Hall. Starting December 1st, all the pictures that meet the rules will be put into a gallery where every member of the CITIES XL community will be able to vote for their favorite pictures. The winning entries will be included in the final version of CITIES XL when the game goes on sale in 2009.

Only images of City Halls may be submitted, and no trademarked buildings, monuments or other current intellectual properties may be entered into the contest. Before submitting a photo, please read the complete rules and submission guidelines on the official website. Grab your camera and shoot, as a City Hall you choose could be included in CITIES XL!

This contest is open to any registered member of the CITIES XL website.

Starting December 1st, we’ll put all the pictures that meet the rules into a gallery where every member of the CITIES XL community will be able to vote for their favorite pictures.

On December 15, we’ll announce the winning pictures that will be included in the game!

In order to be part of the second phase, members must follow the rules below:

• Every picture must have been taken by you: if you win the contest, we will ask you to take some more shots using different angles. We will need these angles to model the building for the game.
• We reserve the right to not consider buildings for intellectual property reasons or other rules violations.
• We are only displaying your pictures , and therefore Monte Cristo is not responsible if your images violate your country's laws
• Buildings must be a City Hall
• We reserve the right to remove any building that doesn’t fit the above requirements.

Starting on December 1st, we’ll allow members to vote for their favorite buildings and on December 15, we’ll announce the three winners. The winning buildings will be modeled and textured by our graph artists and included in CITIES XL on day 1.

The game’s online features and services will allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises. Life on the planet will be punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players. By combining a fantastic single-player game with the social and multiplayer aspects of an MMO, Cities XL will shape the future of the genre by offering more variety, bigger cities and multiple gameplay layers.

Cities XL is currently scheduled to ship in 2009.