The official PC games to be played in the 2008 season will be Valve’s Counter-Strike: Source, returning for its second season and EA Sports’ FIFA 08, which represents an update from last season’s use of FIFA 07 on console. On the Xbox 360, Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 4 will also return for its second season and Microsoft Game Studios Forza Motorsport 2 will debut as the League’s new official racing title.

“After concluding our inaugural season last year, we conducted an extensive game review process to identify the most compelling and competitive games in the world,” said CGS Commissioner Andy Reif. “Our official game selections for the 2008 televised season are optimized to provide an unparalleled gaming experience for the players and our global broadcast audience alike.”

“We are very excited that Dead or Alive 4 was chosen to be the featured fighting game for Championship Gaming Series again,” said John Inada, Vice President of Tecmo, Inc. “We love and fully support what Championship Gaming Series is doing for the game industry and for gamers around the world.”

"We're very excited to see FIFA back in CGS again," said Doug Scott, VP of Entertainment and Lifestyle at Electronic Arts. "It's wonderful to see the world of pro gaming continuing to grow along and we are proud to have the world's greatest football game as a part of that. Some of the FIFA matches from last season had me on the edge of my seat so I'm really looking forward to seeing the competition this year."

Forza Motorsport 2 Lead Designer Dan Greenwalt, Microsoft Game Studios adds, “Featuring bone-crushing damage and authentic simulation physics at a blistering 60 frames-per-second, Forza Motorsport 2 will test the mettle of the world’s best gamers as they race each other on the most challenging tracks in the world.”

In the 2008 season, each CGS team consists of ten athletes, each specializing in an official League game. Five of the ten players comprise a Counter-Strike: Source (CS:S) squad which competes in five-on-five matches. FIFA 08 is played one-on-one. Each CGS team also has a mixed-doubles team of two Dead or Alive 4 players, who will play against other teams in one-on-one matches on Xbox 360. Forza Motorsport 2 consists of two racers on each team competing in a two-versus-two format, also on Xbox 360.

In North America, the 2008 season will get underway March 7-9 at the South by Southwest ScreenBurn Arcade in Austin, Texas. The CGS North American Combine and Draft will feature the best gamers from the United States and Canada vying to distinguish themselves for a spot on one of six teams: Los Angeles Complexity, New York 3D, Chicago Chimera, Carolina Core, San Francisco Optx, and Dallas Venom.

Gamers can register online for a live qualifier in Austin by going to thecgs.com.