Illustrating a bold vision to expand video game entertainment by embracing what
it calls the Digital Entertainment Lifestyle, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled
its lineup of new games and experiences for the Xbox® video game system, setting
the stage for this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). With ambitious new
games – “Halo 2,” “Project Gotham Racing®
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 online game
service, Microsoft demonstrated how Xbox delivers social gaming experiences that
promise to redefine the video game industry forever.

“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® 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 Skiesâ„¢: High Road to Revengeâ„¢”
(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®
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 Spinâ„¢,” “Ampedâ„¢
2,” “Links® 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,
including such franchises as “Age of Empires®,” “Flight Simulator”
and “Zoo Tycoonâ„¢”; Xbox,
including such franchises as “Halo,” “Project Gotham Racing”
and “NFL Fever”; and Zone.com,
the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as “Bejeweled”
and “OutSmartâ„¢.”

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 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 (Nasdaq “MSFT”) 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.

Filed under: Xbox Live

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