LADYDRAGON.COM - MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS TEARS APART YESTERDAY’S IDEAS OF SPORTS GAMES WITH THE LAUNCH OF XSN SPORTS™

Wednesday May 14, 2003

MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS TEARS APART YESTERDAY’S IDEAS OF SPORTS GAMES WITH THE LAUNCH OF XSN SPORTS™

XSN Sports Marks the First Lineup of Xbox Games Where Sports Fans Compete Beyond the Game

In a move designed to tear apart yesterday’s paradigm of sports games, Microsoft Game Studios unleashed XSN Sports™, the new brand for Microsoft produced Xbox sports games. Featuring "NFL Fever 2004", "NBA Inside Drive 2004", "Top Spin", "Amped 2", "NHL Rivals 2004" and "Links 2004", XSN Sports and its exclusive, revolutionary technology was unveiled today at the industry’s annual tradeshow, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, California. XSN Sports is destined to unite sports fans and gamers into an intense and competitive gaming community.

Beginning in August 2003 with the launch of "NFL Fever 2004", sports gamers will be plugged in like never before – on Xbox, on the web, and eventually on cell phone or PDA. All titles within the XSN Sports brand will feature web-based technology empowering gamers to organize leagues, build tournaments and prepare schedules from a centralized website XSNsports.com. For the first time in the history of sports gaming, it will be possible to check stats on a virtual sports page as Xbox Live will automatically broadcast up-to-date scores, standings, tendencies, trade proposals and schedules every 15 minutes on XSNsports.com.

"XSN Sports is the breakthrough sports fans have been waiting for," said Kevin Browne, sports studio manager at Microsoft Game Studios. "Competition, rivalries and online play combine with the digital world to create an experience that sports fans and gamers have never before witnessed."

XSN Sports is changing the way sports gamers compete online and offline. Experience the "Just Ride" mode in "Amped 2" where the gamer designs the rules of competition with up to eight friends, or utilize the "read and lead" technology in "NFL Fever 2004" to hit a receiver in stride as he breaks on a pattern against AI defenders that have studied and adapted to a gameplan. Whether it is against a strong AI, head-to-head against a buddy, or in the virtual world, XSN Sports is where sports fans compete beyond the game.

Real competition begins August 2003.