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2K Games thought it wise to run a competition awarding $1 million to the first person who pitched a perfect game in MLB 2K10. What they didn’t bank on is it would happen less than three days after the title’s release.

Million dollars for gaming

23-year-old Wade McGillbery pitched the perfect game less than three days after the title was released. Though his wife had recommended he take a day off work and try for it so that he had the jump on others, he opted to do the responsible thing, playing after returning from the office. He rolled his camera, did the not-so-impossible-after-all and, as they say, the rest is history.

Rare accomplishment

Photo: 2K Games / 2K Sports

A perfect game requires the pitcher completely shutting the other team out. This means the other teams’ batters neither score nor reach a single base. We’re talking no hits, no walks, and no movement at all. It’s such a rare accomplishment that in the real-life competitive format of the game, a perfect game has only been accomplished 18 times, the first time being in 1880 and the most recent in 2009.

Great publicity

McGillbery said he thought it was great publicity for the game, and 2K confirmed that the competition had a visible impact on sales. Though a million dollars may seem like a lot for marketing and expenses, insofar as MLB 2K10 sold at least an additional 50, 000 copies as a direct result of the competition, the promotion has paid for itself. (This calculation is based on publisher keeping a third of the $60 retail price.)

McGillbery, who is a records keeper for a retirement plan, and his wife, plan to use the money to pay off the mortgage on their home and start a family. MLB 2K10 is available in stores now.