Story Idea September 2015

There are two billionaires. Their combined net worth is around 100 billion dollars. Despite their immense wealth they are both bored with life (to the point where they are willing to risk death to ease their boredom), and they understand that many other people in the world from all walks of life and all incomes feel the exact same (mostly sociopaths). So, they get together and agree to a game.
They arrange for a creation of a website which can be read in 10 different languages, the top ten most spoken languages on the planet, meaning that a very large portion of the planet is capable of reading and understanding this message provided they have internet access. The website invites anyone who is willing to come to be at a certain location on the shores of Marie Byrd Land (the last large strip of land on Earth which is under the jurisdiction of no country or international organization), which is located in Antarctica, on a specific day around one year after the creation of the website. All those who arrive will be given equipment, randomly divided into 2 groups, follow their team to its headquarters, and then wage war against the other team. There is no reward for showing up and no compensation for injury sustained on the battlefield; all participants will risk death to temporarily ease the boredom of their existences. Each team would be led by one of the two billionaire sponsors.
What would you see being the major flaws or obstacles that this story would need to overcome?

Dassault Papillon: It sounds like a great story, but I'd change the plot at least a little bit. Instead of simply waging war right after they arrive, present an exploration prior to the war. Have a coin flip, and one side will go west, one will go east. Allow a few days/weeks or so to settle, and then wage war.

As far as flaws/obstacles... Why would the people consent? What types of people would be in attendence? How would the teams be divided evenly?

Dassault Papillon: Placing this story in Antarctica is a terrible idea. It's a landscape that would dominate too much of the storyline. You have to ask yourself, what is the central message of this story? What do I want to be the focus?

I'm betting it's not the landscape, which means basing it in somewhere more temperate is a far better idea. Plus, if you ever want to sell the movie rights, the landscape needs to be hot. Hot = more sex appeal = better box office.
There's a good reason why Survivor is never based anywhere cold.

nzlockie: Personally, I think Antarctica would be a good setting, as it's different than the cliche survival story.

nzlockie: It has to be Antarctica. Marie Byrd Land is the only sufficiently large piece of land on the planet which is not under the Jurisdiction of any country (for instance, if they had the war inside Ethiopia the Ethiopian government would keep all the participants from taking part).

ColeTrain: The people would consent because they're bored with they're lives (thus, fighting a war would liven their existences a little bit, provided that they didn't die).

Dassault Papillon: Okay, reasonable enough. That gives them a will to work together as well.

I disagree that temperate climates = sex appeal.

In real life, people who live in colder climates tend to have larger balls and larger female breasts.

Blackflag: Well I guess that this explains why you're not in marketing.

It's about mass appeal. Bikinis sell more tickets than snow gear.

As a novel there's more flexibility but I still think that the environment will dominate the storyline too much.
How much land do you even need? There are tons of uninhabited Islands, including several that are unclaimed.

If you're setting up a conflict situation, you hardly want them to be several days apart. Especially not if you're doing it in a place that is pitch black half the year.