MICROSOFT
ANNOUNCES LAUNCH DETAILS FOR XBOX IN NORTH
AMERICA
Price,
Availability and Xbox Games for Holiday 2001
Unveiled
Microsoft Corp.
today announced the North American launch details
of its highly anticipated Microsoft® Xbox(TM)
video game system and demonstrated its unmatched
commitment to delivering the best video game
experiences. Starting Nov. 8, 2001, Xbox consoles
will be available for purchase at retail outlets
throughout North America for an estimated retail
price of $299* (U.S.). Microsoft made it clear,
through demonstrations of its new and exclusive
games for Xbox -- such as "Oddworld:
Munch's Oddysee'' and "Halo'' from
Microsoft, "Dead or Alive 3'' from
Tecmo, "NASCAR Heat'' from INFOGRAMES
Inc., and "Mad Dash'' from Eidos
Interactive -- that Xbox games will blur the
lines between fantasy and reality.
"On Nov. 8, Xbox will hit the market and
redefine how people think about and play video
games,'' said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at
Microsoft. "Xbox is going to change
video games the way MTV changed music. Your games
are never going to be the same.''
Microsoft
detailed its North American launch plans at a
press conference in advance of the Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3) 2001, one of the world's
largest annual games industry trade shows.
Even More Game
Developer Support for Xbox Announced
During the press
conference, Microsoft also announced strengthened
relationships with powerhouse console game
studios Capcom Co. Ltd. and Sega Entertainment
Inc., further cementing Microsoft's support from
the world's best game developers and ensuring
delivery of only the best video games for Xbox.
Capcom confirmed
that it will develop three games for Xbox,
including two Xbox exclusives: "Dino
Crisis 3''(tentative title), the latest in the
famed "Dino Crisis'' series produced by
Shinji Mikami, and "BRAIN-BOX'' (code
name and tentative title), an original robot
simulation game also produced by Mikami. In
addition, the popular game "Onimusha''
will be optimized for Xbox and produced by Keiji
Inafune.
Sega announced
that it is creating Xbox versions of its
best-selling Sega Sports(TM) 2K2 games, as well
as Crazy Taxi(TM) Next and House of the Dead(TM)
3. The games will ship in the Xbox 2001 launch
window in North America. Sega also committed to
design its Sega Sports 2K3 lineup for the Xbox
broadband online game service, which is scheduled
to launch in the first half of 2002. Sega's
commitment ensures that its future games will
take advantage of the broadband Ethernet
connection and hard disk built into every Xbox.
"Having
Capcom and Sega on board reinforces the
incredible quality and selection of games that
Xbox will deliver this fall,'' Bach
said. "The creative artists at these
studios will not only deliver great Xbox games,
but they will help us establish the benchmark for
great gaming experiences to come.''
Worldwide Game
Studios Sign on to Create Xbox Online Games
Microsoft also
announced today that 27 top games companies are
propelling video games to new heights by
utilizing the high-quality, high-speed broadband
capabilities** built into every Xbox video game
system. In addition to Sega, Acclaim
Entertainment Inc., Activision Inc., Artdink
Corp., Atlus Company Ltd., Bandai Company Ltd.,
Capcom, Codemasters, Crave Entertainment Inc.,
Electronic Arts Inc., Eidos, FOX Interactive
Inc., Gathering of Developers, INFOGRAMES Inc.,
Interplay Entertainment Corp., Konami Company
Ltd., LucasArts Entertainment Co., Midway Games
Inc., Namco Ltd., Rage Software, Rockstar Games,
Sierra On-Line Inc., Taito Corp., Take-Two
Interactive Software Inc, TDK Systems, THQ and
Ubisoft are the industry-leading publishers
committed to supporting the Xbox online
experience.
Sega Sports'
entire 2K3 lineup (including "NFL 2K3''
and "NBA 2K3''), "Tony Hawk
Pro Skater 3,'' "Unreal Championship''
and "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon'' are
among the games with online capabilities that
will debut in the first half of 2002.
"Online
console gaming over broadband will change the
face of video games forever,'' Bach
said. "When the Xbox online experience
goes live in the first half 2002, our development
partners will have games ready that will
demonstrate how broadband online video games will
have as dramatic an impact on the industry for
the current generation of games as the move from
2-D to 3-D graphics did for the previous
generation.''
Xbox Allies With
Warner Bros. and Universal Interactive Services
Today Microsoft
also announced an exclusive licensing agreement
with Warner Bros. and a signed alliance with
Universal Interactive Services Inc. to create
Xbox games. Microsoft and Warner Bros. will
develop and publish Xbox games based on Steven
Spielberg's highly anticipated
movie, "A.I.,'' that will hit movie
theaters June 29. Microsoft will publish three
action-packed adventure "A.I.'' games,
considered interactive sequels to the movie, two
of which are slated for release this fall in
conjunction with the console's launch in North
America.
Microsoft and
Universal Interactive Services will develop an
Xbox game featuring the highly coveted Bruce Lee
license. "Bruce Lee: Quest of the
Dragon,'' developed by Ronin Entertainment, will
also be published exclusively on
Xbox. "Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon''
is a cinematic, fast-paced action game that
allows gamers to play as the legendary martial
arts master in his latest feature film.
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