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For 2023, MTN DEW is partnering with Cxmmunity Media, RDCWorld and Mortal Kombat 1 to shine a spotlight on HBCU student gamers and support their entry into the world of professional gaming 

PURCHASE, N.Y., July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — MTN DEW® is continuing its ongoing commitment to support and uplift diverse gamers by bringing back the MTN DEW Real Change Challenge in 2023. With a focus on increasing representation in esports and gaming, the MTN DEW Real Change Challenge will support HBCU student gamers by sponsoring a nationwide tournament featuring Mortal Kombat 1, the latest installment in the acclaimed Mortal Kombat videogame franchise developed by the award-winning NetherRealm Studios. Contestants will compete for a piece of an overall prize pool of $500,000, coaching and exposure to esports professionals.

“Following the success of the MTN DEW Real Change Challenge last year we’re pleased to continue this initiative once again in 2023,” said JP Bittencourt, VP of Marketing, MTN DEW. “Mortal Kombat is one of the most iconic game franchises of all time, and being able to partner with them for the MTN DEW Real Change Challenge is truly an honor.”

For the 2023 MTN DEW Real Change Challenge, the brand is once again partnering with Cxmmunity Media, an organization dedicated to future-proofing diversity and equity in gaming and creators of the HBCU Esports League, to bring the Challenge back to HBCU students nationwide. New to 2023, the Real Change Challenge will for the first-time be a nationwide HBCU Mortal Kombat 1 tournament. The tournament will kick-off October 2^nd, 2023 with sign-ups open to all current HBCU students, now through September 8^th at hbcuesports.co/realchange.

“Cxmmunity Media is proud to partner again with MTN DEW to further our mission of future-proofing diversity and equity in gaming,” says Ryan Johnson, CEO of Cxmmunity Media. “Access and representation are key factors in attracting and maintaining diverse talent in the gaming industry. We look forward to doing more programming with brands like MTN DEW to serve as a pipeline for more gamers of color to tap into the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry.”

To celebrate the launch of this year’s Real Change Challenge, MTN DEW is joining forces with RDCWorld, a creative collective of entertainers, and bringing the Real Change Challenge to its annual Gaming and Anime convention, Dream Con, from July 28^th to July 30^th in Austin, TX.  At Dream Con, 20,000 attendees will join MTN DEW and RDCWorld to celebrate the return of the Real Change Challenge, as well as enjoying the MTN DEW hosted Mortal Kombat 11 Amateur and Celebrity tournaments, and The Faces of Real Change in Gaming panel – which will focus on representation in the esports industry.

“RDCWorld as a whole is very excited to be teaming up with MTN DEW to support the MTN DEW Real Change Challenge,” said Johnathan Newton, Chief Operating Officer of Dream Con. “A lot of people are unaware that our brand RDCWorld stands for “Real Dreams Change the World” and that’s a position we’ve maintained from day one that we would accomplish through entertainment. So, when MTN DEW hit us up and told us about its vision for the Real Change platform it really was a no brainer to team up! Gaming has had a huge impact on every part of our lives and as minorities we’ve personally felt the lack of representation in this space. That’s why RDCWorld is planning on being heavily involved in the creative process and we’re bringing our community and fans along for the ride.”

The 2023 MTN DEW Real Change Challenge will be a 64-player 1v1 bracket style tournament with 4 rounds of double-elimination style game play, leading to the final 12 going head-to-head in a Live Championship in Atlanta on October 28^th. The Championship will culminate in a face-off between the top two players for the chance to not only take home the bragging rights, but also taking home the 1^st place prize of $45,000. 

To bring fans along on the journey of our 64 participating HBCU students, MTN DEW and the HBCU Esports League will broadcast all tournament matches highlighting the HBCU gamers and their paths to the Real Change Challenge Championship. DEW Nation and gaming fans everywhere can tune in to Cxmmunity Media’s Twitch Channel beginning October 2^nd to catch the tournament live.

To get more information on the MTN DEW Real Change Challenge and find out how to enter check out mountaindew.com/real-change and follow @MTNDEWGaming on Instagram and Twitter and @MTNDEW_Gaming on Tik Tok.

About MTN DEW
MOUNTAIN DEW®, a product of PepsiCo North America Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, MOUNTAIN DEW exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to the original MOUNTAIN DEW and DIET MOUNTAIN DEW®, the permanent DEW® product line includes MTN DEW® KICKSTART, MOUNTAIN DEW® CODE RED®, MOUNTAIN DEW VOLTAGE®, MTN DEW® Zero Sugar, MTN DEW MAJOR MELON®, MTN DEW MAJOR MELON Zero Sugar, MTN DEW SPARK and MTN DEW SPARK Zero Sugar. For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com, www.facebook.com/mountaindew or follow on Twitter @mountaindew.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.  

ABOUT CXMMUNITY MEDIA
Cxmmunity Media is a collaborative team of innovative thinkers and doers dedicated to future-proofing diversity and equity in gaming through strategic partnerships, philanthropy, and entertainment.  Founded in 2019, Cxmmunity Media is on a mission to increase minority representation in the industry by investing in the education, economic advancement, and visibility of gamers of color. As a pathway to leveling the playing field for Black gamers, Cxmmunity Media created the HBCU Esports League, one of few Black-owned sports leagues, providing students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities a safe space to compete and monetize in esports.

ABOUT RDCWORLD
RDCWorld is one of the most popular groups of entertainers with the mission to inspire others to believe that “Real Dreams Change the World.” With over 11 million social media followers, RDCWorld is most known for entertaining fans with comedic skits, reactions, vlogs, games, and short films. Their content covers various topics including anime, sports, video games, comics, and music and has over one billion views on their Youtube channel alone. RDCWorld took their interests and founded Dream Con, an anime and gaming convention in Central Texas in 2018. Dream Con has become a staple in the anime and gaming community promoting and celebrating diversity.

ABOUT DREAM CON
Dream Con is the largest and fastest growing Black-owned anime and gaming convention in the United States founded by RDCWorld that brings together like-minded individuals from all over the world to enjoy and celebrate anime, gaming, cosplay, sports, pop culture, music and much more. Dream Con continues to make strides in the anime and gaming community by being inclusive of all creators and attendees of every background – giving people of color a safe place to be themselves! Dream Con seeks to make a powerful impact in the community and across the country by showing everyone that dreams can change the world!

Contact:

Kelly Rada
[email protected] 

SOURCE MTN DEW