Is the chance to get in on part of a US$20,000 payoff enough to lure hardcore games to the HEAT.net online gaming network? SegaSoft Networks hopes so.

　　The company next month launches a one million dollar campaign to promote its network; they'll be giving away Degrees (HEAT's equivalent to frequent flyer miles for gamers) and other prizes, plus cash worth $20,000 every week for the next year.

　　The prizes will be given away through HEAT.net's Air Raid events, open challenges and online appearances by HEAT personalities the Reverend, the HEAT Prize Man, and Crazy Gary, among other promotions.

　　The campaign begins with the network's Bloodlust Warcraft 2 tournament, set to pit 256 gamers against each other. Top prizes will include one million Degrees, subscriptions to gaming magazines, and a PC accelerator board. Registration for the tournament has already started; HEAT.net is signing up would-be Warcrafters on a first-come, first-served basis.

　　The network is also notching up its rhetoric aimed at other online gaming services. Gary Griffiths, SegaSoft president and CEO, for instance, said, "HEAT is the only place to play and win big time online. We've already awarded prizes worth more than five hundred thousand dollars - nearly double the amount awarded by any other online competitors combined."

　　"We believe an extra $20K per week coupled with the best games is what core gamers want," he said. "Most people playing in the PGL are basically SOL. The PGL rewards the chosen few, while HEAT is giving tens of thousands of people a chance to grab their piece of one million dollars. For most gamers, the real action is on HEAT."