Exclusive New Games, Expanded Xbox Live Offerings Converge to Connect Gaming
Community with Digital Entertainment Lifestyle
LOS ANGELES, May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Illustrating a bold vision
to expand video game entertainment by embracing what it calls the Digital
Entertainment Lifestyle, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today unveiled its
lineup of new games and experiences for the Xbox(R) video game system, setting
the stage for this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). With ambitious
new games -- "Halo(TM) 2," "Project Gotham Racing(R) 2" and three new titles
from renowned developer Rare Ltd., to name a few -- and an impressive list of
industry firsts, including "Music Mixer," XSN Sports and new features for the
Xbox Live(TM) online game service, Microsoft demonstrated how Xbox delivers
social gaming experiences that promise to redefine the video game industry
forever.
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"At the core of everything we do are great games, and in looking to the
future, our vision is to expand the definition of video game entertainment by
expanding gaming content and merging it with services that will build the
gaming community," said Robbie Bach, senior vice president of the Home and
Entertainment Division and chief Xbox officer at Microsoft. "The convergence
of content and services is being embraced by people whose lifestyle is all
about being connected -- the Digital Entertainment Lifestyle. Serving this
lifestyle, and the gamers who are part of it, is absolutely required for
success, and we intend to take a leadership position to grow this industry."
Ambitious Xbox Games Lineup
Ed Fries, vice president of Microsoft game content, provided a sneak peek
at the most-anticipated Xbox games in the portfolio, including the hottest new
Xbox exclusives:
-- "Halo 2" (Microsoft(R) Game Studios, Bungie Studios). "Halo 2" is the
sequel to one of the greatest games of all time. It promises to surpass
the original with revolutionary breakthroughs in the way people play
games, including engine and artificial intelligence (AI) enhancements,
and an unsurpassed team-based multiplayer experience. It will ship the
first quarter of 2004.
-- "Project Gotham Racing 2" (Microsoft Game Studios, Bizarre Creations
Ltd.). The sequel to the million-unit seller, "Project Gotham Racing 2"
is the ultimate test of racing skill, style and daring, rewarding
drivers for not only how fast they drive, but for how they drive fast
-- both offline and competing using Xbox Live. It will ship holiday
2003.
-- First titles from Rare (Microsoft Game Studios, Rare):
- "Grabbed by the Ghoulies." Rare's first Xbox-exclusive game since
Microsoft acquired the company in September 2002, "Grabbed by the
Ghoulies" is a fun and chaotic beat-'em-up game that pits the brave
and endearing Cooper against the Ghoulies that have captured his
girlfriend. It ships holiday 2003.
- "Conker: Live and Uncut." Rare's "Conker" is back in an all-new Xbox
Live-enabled team-based shooter focused on story-driven scenarios.
With a wide variety of customizable multiplayer scenarios, teamwork
and fun) is what "Conker" is all about. Each scenario has its own
objectives, rules, environment and back story, adding emotional
context to the genre. It ships in 2004.
- "Kameo: Elements of Power." This is an action-adventure game set in a
fantastic kingdom of monsters and magic. Players become "Kameo," a
princess on a mission to rescue her three Elemental Ancestors from
the Dark Troll King, who has plans to dominate the fantasy planet's
wildlife. It ships in 2004.
-- "Fable" (Microsoft Game Studios, Lionhead Studios). From renowned
developer Peter Molyneux, "Fable" puts the choice squarely at gamers'
fingertips: Will they be good, evil or somewhere in between? In
"Fable," players choose their identity, determine appearance and
abilities, feel effects of reputation, and thus create their own
interactive experience. It will ship holiday 2003.
-- "Counter-Strike" (Microsoft Game Studios, Valve/Ritual). Designed by
Valve and Ritual Entertainment, two of the world's most renowned game
developers, "Counter-Strike" is one of the world's most popular PC
action games, with more than 75,000 simultaneous gamers playing at any
given time. It is the winner of numerous awards and ships holiday 2003.
-- "Crimson Skies(TM): High Road to Revenge(TM)" (Microsoft Game Studios,
FASA). "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge" is an Xbox Live-enabled
flight combat action game that immerses players in the life of a
swashbuckling air pirate, bringing the thrills of aerial dogfighting
exclusively to Xbox. It ships holiday 2003.
Xbox Live Is Evolving and Growing the Gaming Community
"With a community of over 500,000 gamers worldwide, the Xbox Live service
is growing strong and helping us learn a lot about how gamers want to interact
with Xbox," said J Allard, vice president of the Xbox platform. "We're
continually innovating and expanding the Xbox Live gameplay experience,
leveraging what we've learned about what gamers want and allowing the
most-talented developers in the industry to take advantage of the endless
possibilities that Xbox Live enables."
As Xbox Live continues to evolve over the next year, the growing worldwide
community of online gamers will be enticed by a host of new features:
-- Xbox Live Alerts. Gamers can receive invitations to play on their
personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone or PC with MSN(R)
Messenger Service.
-- Xbox Live Web. Xbox Live stats and friends lists will be available to
view through a new Xbox site that links to the service.
-- Xbox Live Aware Games. More games will allow users to be "logged on"
while playing, even as a single player, so they can receive invitations
and keep up with what their friends are doing.
-- Teams and Competition. New features on Xbox Live will make it easy for
gamers to form teams with friends, and create and participate in
structured competitions on the Web and in games.
-- Xbox Live Now. Gamers will have a place to meet and can use voice chat
to determine where to begin their gaming experience. They can decide
which game to play and how to team up, and chat after the game.
By this time next year more than 100 Xbox Live games are forecasted to be
available, including the most-anticipated game in the industry, "Halo 2," as
well as games such as "Counter-Strike," "Project Gotham Racing 2" and every
sports game from Microsoft Game Studios.
Innovative Digital Entertainment - XSN Sports and "Music Mixer" - Debuts
XSN Sports
Microsoft unveiled XSN Sports from Microsoft Game Studios, the first
lineup of Xbox games in which sports fans compete beyond the game. For the
first time ever, gamers will challenge real people to create their own leagues
and build their own rivalries. Launching in August, XSN Sports will change the
way the industry develops sports games. XSN Sports features include these:
-- Virtual leagues. Teams, leagues and schedules can be organized easily
from a centralized Web site, XSNsports.com.
-- Check stats on a virtual sports page. Xbox Live will automatically
broadcast up-to-date scores, standings and stats to XSNsports.com every
15 minutes. For the first time, gamers can scout the career stats of
their next opponent.
-- Competition for the digital lifestyle. XSN Sports will keep gamers
plugged in -- on the Web, on their cell, on their Xbox -- where their
game is the center of the action.
-- Train to be a multisport champion. The XSN Sports lineup will enable
gamers to be a one-sport star or even an eight-sport superstar.
Combining the power of Xbox, Xbox Live, PC and mobile devices to redefine
the way sports gamers compete, the XSN Sports network will include "NFL Fever
2004," "NBA Inside Drive 2004," "Top Spin(TM)," "Amped(TM) 2," "Links(R) 2004"
and "NHL Rivals."
"Music Mixer"
"'Music Mixer' unlocks the digital entertainment capability of Xbox,"
Allard said. "'Music Mixer' demonstrates how we can use the Xbox to connect
gamers to other favorite activities of the Digital Entertainment Lifestyle,
enabling players to access DVD playback,* CD playback, photo viewing, gaming,
music storage, online gameplay, enhanced party visualizers and even karaoke."
"Music Mixer" expands the way people play, share and interact with music,
allowing any player to be a producer, VJ or American idol. Features include
the following:
-- With digital lyric-stripping technology, "Music Mixer" will provide a
limitless karaoke experience, letting Xbox players sing along to
millions of songs.
-- Players can mix, match, shuffle and customize soundtracks, setting the
mood for any situation. Players can enhance the music experience with
the addition of interactive 2-D and 3-D on-screen visualizers.
-- With PC media sharing, Xbox players will be able to easily transfer
their digital music and photos from their PC to their Xbox system,
creating the ultimate multimedia library to be enjoyed in the social
center of the home: the living room.
Xbox "Music Mixer" will debut this holiday in the United States for an
estimated retail price of $39.99.
Hands-On Demos at Electronic Entertainment Expo
The full roster of new Xbox software and services will be on display
Wednesday through Friday of this week at E3 at the Los Angeles Convention and
Exposition Center.
About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of
games for the PC, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a
network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating
innovative and diverse game portfolios for the PC
( http://www.microsoft.com/games/ ), including such franchises as "Age of
Empires(R)," "Flight Simulator" and "Zoo Tycoon(TM)"; Xbox
( http://www.xbox.com/ ), including such franchises as "Halo" "Project Gotham
Racing" and "NFL Fever"; and Zone.com ( http://www.zone.com/ ), the official
games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and
"OutSmart(TM)."
About Xbox Live
Xbox Live, which launched in the United States Nov. 15, 2002, allows
gamers to play multiplayer Xbox games with other gamers worldwide via a
broadband connection. With a built-in hard drive and Ethernet port, the Xbox
console is the only video game system built from the ground up for online
gaming. Xbox Live enables gamers to easily find their friends; talk to other
players during gameplay through the Xbox Communicator headset; download
current statistics and new levels and characters to their Xbox hard drive; and
play online -- all exclusive features to Xbox Live.
About Xbox
Xbox ( http://www.xbox.com/ ) is Microsoft's future-generation video game
system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever. Xbox empowers
game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions
as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and
reality. Xbox is now available in the continents of North America, Europe,
Asia and Australia.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company
offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people
through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
* Xbox DVD Movie Playback Kit sold separately.
NOTE: Microsoft, Xbox, Halo, Project Gotham Racing, Xbox Live, Crimson
Skies, High Road to Revenge, MSN, Top Spin, Amped, Links, Age of Empires, Zoo
Tycoon and OutSmart are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of
actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their
respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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