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LEADING VIDEO GAME COMPANIES TO UNLEASH BROADBAND
GAMING ON XBOX
Sega Sports' 2K3
Titles, "Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3" and
"Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon" Are Among
Online-Enabled Games Coming to Xbox Starting in
2002
Microsoft Corp.
today announced that more than 25 top game
companies are propelling video games to new
heights by taking advantage of the high-quality,
high-speed broadband capabilities built into
every Microsoft® Xbox" video game system.
The news was made in advance of the Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3) 2001, one of the world's
largest annual games industry trade shows.
Acclaim Entertainment Inc., Activision Inc.,
ArtDink Corp., Atlus Company Ltd., Bandai Company
Ltd., Capcom Co. Ltd., Codemasters, Crave
Entertainment Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Eidos
Interactive, 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, Sega
Entertainment Inc., 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" will be among the first
online-enabled games available. In addition,
Microsoft's own Xbox game studios has more than a
dozen online-enabled games in development in the
United States and Japan. In fact, Bungie Studios,
developer of the highly anticipated Xbox game
"Halo," will only create future games
that take advantage of the broadband capabilities
of Xbox.
"Online console gaming over broadband will
change the face of video games forever,"
said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at
Microsoft. "When the Xbox online experience
goes live next year, our development partners
will have games ready that 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 last
generation."
"Sega is extremely excited about the
potential that Xbox brings to online console
gaming," said Peter Moore, president and COO
of Sega America. "Obviously, the inclusion
of a hard drive and Ethernet port in every single
box is very important. Moreover, Xbox is building
a world-class gaming platform on a global basis.
This assures players a safe, fun and fast
experience and allows developers to focus on
creating great games. We at Sega intend to take
full advantage of that."
Video gaming on Xbox will expand beyond the walls
of gamers' homes as they connect to other gamers
throughout the world for more powerful
experiences. As on as game console, Xbox online
experiences will be easy, fast and safe. Game
players will never know they are going online.
The following are some examples of how games may
change as a result of the Xbox online console
experience:
· In a basketball game, 10
players can play five on five, each controlling
their own player. Players will be able to easily
find their buddies and team up with them against
other teams. They will be able to communicate and
"talk trash" via voice chat.
· Gamers will be able to
download episodic content. For example, racers
will be able to download new tracks, cars and
even real-time weather conditions from the city
they are racing in.
· Player histories can
automatically be tracked, including stats, level
of accomplishment, tournament record and
customized attributes the player has defined or
earned. Players, teammates and opponents can then
own bragging rights or measure the caliber of
other players to ensure that multiplayer games
are more evenly matched.
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