The Xbox Games Pipeline Is Jamming With More Than 300 Games in Development,
And More Than 200 Games Slated for Holiday Season
LOS ANGELES, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) highlighted its next wave of highly anticipated
titles for the Xbox(TM) video game system today to a packed house of
journalists and retailers from around the world, as well as cheering game
fans, who rattled the rafters in the historic Orpheum Theater. With
blockbuster games such as "Star Wars(R): Knights of the Old Republic(TM)"
(LucasArts Entertainment Company), "Brute Force" (Microsoft Game Studios),
"NFL Fever 2003" (Microsoft Game Studios), "Unreal Championship" (Infogrames)
and "Panzer Dragoon(TM) ORTA" (SEGA(R) of America, Inc.), Microsoft previewed
its top Xbox games that will be shown at this week's Electronic Entertainment
Expo (E3) and available to game fans this holiday season.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Microsoft also provided a glimpse of its future blockbuster games,
including "Project Ego" (Microsoft Game Studios), a groundbreaking
role-playing adventure game from Peter Molyneux, in which the player's every
action determines the skills, appearance and morality of the main character.
Microsoft also showcased "Ninja Gaiden(R)" (Tecmo(R), Inc.), created by the
celebrated developer, Tomonobu Itagaki. The game features the return of
character Ryu Hayabusa, a deadly Ninja assassin, in a neoclassic adventure
featuring extraordinary new worlds, deadly new weapons, Hollywood-style movies
and interactive 3-D environments.
"The pipeline of Xbox games is jammed with new titles in every category,"
said Ed Fries, vice president of Xbox game content at Microsoft. "With
300 Xbox games in development and 200 games slated for the holiday season,
gamers will have a mountain of high-quality titles to choose from this year.
No other console has ever accomplished these types of numbers in its first
year."
Blockbuster Games
Microsoft announced that more than 150 Xbox games will be previewed at
this year's E3. Featured games include the following:
-- "Star Wars(R): Knights of the Old Republic(TM)" (LucasArts
Entertainment Company) presents a deep, engaging story- and
character-driven role-playing game (RPG) set 4,000 years prior to the
time frame revealed in the "Star Wars" films. The era, unexplored in
any previous "Star Wars" game, is dominated by an enduring conflict
between the Jedi and the Sith. Developed in conjunction with BioWare
Corp., the game will feature customizable male and female heroes,
evolving playable characters and dynamic lightsaber combat. It will be
available during the holiday season of 2002.
-- "Brute Force" (Microsoft Game Studios) is an action-packed sci-fi
squad-based shooter game that lets players experience the intensity of
a shooter game with the cunning strategies of team-based tactical
combat. "Brute Force" can be played solo through six worlds in the
extensive single-player campaign, or gamers can have as many as
three friends jump in on the fly in Dynamic Co-op mode or battle it out
in a multitude of competitive death-match modes. It will be available
fall 2002.
-- "NFL Fever 2003" (Microsoft Game Studios) is the award-winning football
game for Xbox that takes full advantage of Xbox Live online technology.
Easy to pick up and start playing, "NFL Fever 2003" delivers all the
action and excitement of the National Football League, allowing gamers
to create, play and control their ultimate NFL team. With the
opportunity to earn all the accolades and honors of the National
Football League, "NFL Fever 2003" challenges hardcore football fans and
gamers to be the best in the world. It will be available August 2002.
-- "Unreal Championship" (Infogrames) provides console gamers with an
adrenaline-packed, first-person action experience designed specifically
for Xbox and the Xbox controller. Console-specific features such as
jump and speed pads, double jump, a high-performance frame rate
(60 frames per second), power-ups, unlockable features and more will
keep players' appetites at their peak. It will be available fall 2002.
-- "Panzer Dragoon(TM) ORTA" (SEGA(R) of America, Inc.) takes place in a
distant age when a legacy was born that ruled the skies. Dramatic chase
battles pit gamers against powerful enemies in high-speed aerial
combat. Players will enjoy 10 stages of frantic action featuring
Berserk Mode, special attacks to rain destruction upon enemies, and
real-time dragon morphing to customize fighting styles. It will be
available fall 2002.
Xbox Live
Microsoft also unveiled its online game service, Xbox Live, and announced
that more than half of the games published by Microsoft Game Studios will have
an online component.
"We're committed not only to the future of the Xbox, but to the future of
online gaming," Fries said. "Yesterday's blockbusters will become the online
triumphs of the future. Popular franchises such as "Project Gotham
Racing(TM)," "Amped(TM)," "RalliSport Challenge" and "NFL Fever" will continue
to blow gamers away, and drive console sales -- and also will be available
online. As for "Halo(TM)" and the work the Bungie Studios team is doing,
gamers can rest assured: The fate of humanity is in good hands ... and
online."
Games announced that will support Xbox Live include "NFL Fever 2003,"
"Counterstrike," "Midtown Madness(R) 3," "MechAssault(TM)" and "Whacked!(TM)"
from Microsoft Game Studios; "Unreal Championship" from Infogrames; and "Star
Wars(R) Galaxies(TM)" from LucasArts Entertainment Company.
Microsoft also showcased several of the 300 games in development and
announced a bevy of new games announcements, including the following:
-- "Blinx: The Time Sweeper" (Microsoft Game Studios). Blinx is one cool,
clever cat on a mission to fix glitches in the space-time continuum.
This game lets players actually control the flow of time, a feature
only possible on Xbox. Gamers can record their actions, play them back
and have dual characters cooperate to complete challenges. The game
will be available fall 2002.
-- "Shenmue II" (Microsoft Game Studios). This epic adventure has all the
elements of a great movie -- drama, mystery, suspense and action -- and
offers a unique gameplaying experience that seamlessly blends elements
of action, adventure, fighting and RPG games. Led by renowned developer
Yu Suzuki, the group that developed the smash-hit fighting game "Virtua
Fighter" is developing "Shenmue II." The game includes an advanced
fighting system with more than 50 punches, kicks, holds and combos:
the most developed fighting system for a nonfighting game. It will be
available during the holiday season of 2002 in the United States.
-- "Psychonauts" (Microsoft Game Studios). "Psychonauts" is a wildly
surreal action adventure game from Double Fine Productions developer
Tim Schaffer. It's a game in which characters' personal paranormal
powers are unlocked to plunge players into the minds of bizarre
characters. Gamers journey deep into crazy worlds of infinite
possibility to thwart the secret plan of an evil madman and realize the
ultimate dream of joining an elite force of psychic superheroes, the
Psychonauts. The game will be available spring 2003.
-- "Tork" (Microsoft Game Studios). A young, fearless caveboy, Tork is on
a mission through time to rescue his father and track down the evil
warriors who have upset the balance of order in his village. With his
favorite weapon at his side, a bolas that packs a punch, Tork travels
through a variety of worlds in hopes of completing his journey before
the course of history is changed forever. "Tork" will be available
spring 2003.
Industry Support
Microsoft today also acknowledged the widespread support of the games
industry for Xbox by filling the Orpheum Theater's front row with many of the
world's marquee game creators. The "who's who" list of game designers included
Jason Jones (Bungie), lead designer of "Halo;" Gabe Newell (Valve Software),
who is bringing his great "Counterstrike" franchise to Xbox; Itagaki (Tecmo),
creator of "Dead or Alive 3" and the upcoming "Ninja Gaiden"; Suzuki (SEGA(R)
of America Inc.), the creative force behind "Shenmue II"; Molyneux (Lionhead
Studios), creator of the upcoming Xbox epic, "Project Ego"; Schaffer (Double
Fine), developer for the upcoming Xbox platform game, "Psychonauts"; and
Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk (BioWare), developers of "Star Wars(R):
Knights of the Old Republic(TM)" (in conjunction with LucasArts Entertainment
Company).
"The games industry is working every day to create a new form of
entertainment that is fundamentally more involving, more powerful and more
compelling than anything that has come before," Fries said. "That's really why
we're joined by these creative geniuses: because Xbox is the most powerful
weapon yet conceived to fight that battle. We are not just making games; we
are changing entertainment itself."
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 North America, Japan, Europe 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.
The information contained in this press release relates to prerelease
products and services that may be substantially modified before first
commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately describe
or reflect the products and services when first commercially released. This
press release is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes
no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the release or the
information contained in it.
NOTE: Microsoft, Xbox, Project Gotham Racing, Amped, Halo, Midtown
Madness, MechAssault and Whacked! are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The "Star Wars Galaxies" massively multiplayer online game series from
LucasArts Entertainment Company is designed to immerse literally thousands of
players into the rich "Star Wars" universe. The first product, "Star Wars
Galaxies," will feature dynamic role-playing ground-based adventures across
multiple planets in the classic "Star Wars" timeframe. Game play will offer a
unique combination of combat, exploration, social interaction, specialized
missions and daring quests.
Officially Licensed Product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC. logo is a
registered trademark of the NFL players. http://www.nflplayers.com/ (C) 2002
PLAYERS INC.
(C) 2002 NFL Properties LLC. Team names and logos are trademarks of the
teams indicated. All other NFL-related marks are trademarks of the National
Football League.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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