Blitz flagged with $20 tag

Blitz: The League was the Rudy of sports games when it was released last October. Considered a long shot full of no-names and lacking the skills necessary to compete in the same league as Electronic Arts' Madden NFL series, Blitz entered the season as a serious underdog.

Then something strange happened. The M-rated game sold beyond expectations, propelling Midway to an 84 percent increase in December sales from 2004 to 2005.

Today, Midway announced that the game has achieved Platinum Hits status on the Xbox and Greatest Hits status on the PlayStation 2. The game will now be redistributed with new cover art and will retail for $19.99.

According to Midway, to reach both Platinum Hits and Greatest Hits statuses, a publisher is required to manufacture 400,000 units for each platform during its first nine months in retail. Midway claims to have shipped nearly 1 million copies of Blitz: The League since its release.

Blitz: the League is also in development for the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360, both editions of which are expected to be released this fall. For more information on the game, read GameSpot's review.