(1 September 2005 12:00 pm)

MUMBAI: AXN, the action and adventure channel, will kickstart its Indian production with a live gaming show GameMax. The programme will launch in mid-October.

A new weekly series, GameMax will give information on the latest games, exclusive news and previews on the gaming industry from around the world.

It will have GameMax Gaming Championship exclusively for India, where 12 contestants will face off to win the title, informs a press release.

The contestants will be chosen from India through an online gaming competition featured on the website www.games2win.com.

The media release adds that out of the participants who log on to games2win.com, 12 gamers will be selected and appear on the show.

The online selection is on, which started on 29 August and will continue till 7 September.

AXN director sales and marketing Rohit Bhandari said, "In the recent past, we have witnessed an increase in professionals and young adults engaging in electronic gaming as a form of entertainment. Given the growth and potential of the Indian market, AXN has taken the initiative in delivering a unique and enjoyable experience for its loyal Indian audience.'

Apart from the Championship, GameMax on AXN will provide in depth, on location reports filmed across the globe to entertain, amuse and provide unrivalled coverage of everything exctiting that's going on in games.

Contest2Win.com Alok Kejriwal adds, "Gaming in India has now achieved a cult status, where more and more young adults as well as mature audiences are participating in this popular phenomenon. When AXN approached us with the concept for this show, it was the perfect medium to make gaming accessible to the Indian audience Our portal will help in accessing and preparing the present game enthusiasts for the show."