Thin-King outside of the BOX…

Words by C. Daniel

Photos contributed by Amandi Phillips

Jermaine Dupri and EA Sports marketing director Nathan Stewart play a round of Madden NFL 10

So you’re the general manager of a NFL franchise on Monday night: sittin’ on brown leather sofas; six high definition plasmas; enjoyin’ the view overlooking Atlanta’s landscape; managing salary caps and sippin’ on cognac from two open bars in opposite corners.

Guess life can be just a silly game: courtesy of C.J. Peters and Marcus Matthews, better known as Konsole Kingz (KKZ).

Atlanta’s powerhouse for urban lifestyle and gaming bought out the best of the best in Atlanta for “The MVP Experience,” the pre-screening of Madden NFL 10 on Aug. 5, 2009. Partnering up with Xbox and EA Sports for the launch affair, hip hop’s tech dynasty locked down the fourth floor of downtown’s W Hotel for an exclusive, invitation-only gaming suite. Each monitor – four back-to-back center suite and the remaining two closer to the windows — was connected to an Xbox console equipped with the game.

Cheerleaders with gold pom-poms greet the guests by the red carpet. There are even candy dishes on top of the consoles and black-covered cocktail tables.

A full-fledged source for urban gaming, KKZ creates high-definition downloadable content on networks such as Xbox Live; hosts gaming suites to introduce new virtual goods and serve as a liaison between hip hop artists and virtual reality. For KKZ, building a strong community is what keeps them partnering with video game hierarchies and the hip hop community.  “It just keeps building,” Peters says. “They like what we try to do; we try to do good work and show them we’re a real company gettin’ real results.”

Big Boi with an advanced copy

Comedian Griff hosts. Jermaine Dupri gets on the sticks for a minute. DJ Scream spins on the turntables. OutKast’s Big Boi comes through later on in the evening. Of course, other entertainers stop by to show their support: Yung Joc; Jazze Pha; Drumma Boy; Mr. Collipark; The Aphilliates; Rich Girl (who all get on the sticks); Verse Simmonds; Kandi Burruss; Rasheeda; Q. Parker; Lil’ Scrappy; OJ da Juiceman; D. Woods and Chingy. Some of them even walk away with advanced copies of the game. “The hip hop and urban space is very influential,” Peters says. “It can drive technology.”

Nathan Stewart, marketing manager for EA Sports, knows KKZ’s presence in hip hop is important to Madden NFL’s success as well as EA Sports. “From their standpoint, it’s the game that ranks to them,” he believes. “I think the folks that they reach out to and work with on a daily basis wanna play Madden, so it just makes a lot of sense to be there for ‘em. From our standpoint, we appreciate their support. We like anyone who’s a real NFL fan to be a part of the game. We’re just happy that they’re having us.”

For John Rodman, senior product manager for Xbox, Atlanta is always a top market to introduce a game such as Madden NFL 10. “We’re absolutely delighted to be here in Atlanta,” he says. “There are a lot of great gamers and Madden NFL gamers here. So we try to come back every year and bring the game to the fans here and have them be some of the first people in the entire country to play Madden NFL.”

Mr. Collipark, Lil' Scrappy and Drumma Boy

Madden NFL 10 is the most customizable version of the franchise. Accompanied with an upgraded online franchise, players oversee every aspect of their chosen franchise in highly cinematic Pro-Tak animation. There are options to draft; sign a free agent and control the outcome of each play. Hell, the play doesn’t end until the whistle blows.

Rodman believes Madden brings the NFL experience to life. “I think every year, EA Sports and the Madden team do such an amazing job of extending that NFL realism and in-game experience,” he says. “The whole game play and what you can do as a franchise owner and manager, it’s so much there. It’s immersive. It’s realistic. It’s fun. You can never get enough Madden; Aug. can never come fast enough.”

Also for the first time, the online co-op allows gamers and their friends to take on the computer. Each player can be located in two totally different places. It’s a feature that Xbox and EA Sports believe will change the future of the game. “That’s the first time we’ve ever done that,” Stewart says. “The fans have been asking for it for a long time; it’s just a building block for everything. A feature like online co-op will turn into online three-on-three or five-on-five.”

 Madden NFL 10 is for release on Aug. 14, 2009.

For more information on Konsole Kingz (KKZ), log onto www.konsolekingz.com or www.twitter.com/kingsoul. For more info on Madden NFL 10, log onto www.xbox.com/en-US/games/m/maddennfl10/.

Thanks 2 C.J. and Marcus @ KKZ 4 the invite; 2 John @ Xbox and Nathan @ EA Sports 4 all the love they showed; 2 Chrystina Woody 4 Ur spirit and 2 everyone @ The Garner Circle PR 4 their invite and continuous support…the entire event was definitely one 4 the books! Keep up the good work, everyone!