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TEMPE, Ariz. – Sept. 10, 2008 – Content delivery software maker Solid State Networks, Inc., the leading developer of game and patch delivery solutions, today announced a partnership with leading independent game developer and publisher Funcom to launch new digital delivery solutions that meet the ongoing challenges of distributing large video game files via the Internet.

“Solid State’s technology has enabled us to extend our game experience, starting with the launch of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, to our gamers in new ways. Solid State Networks understands gaming and game delivery and they continue to demonstrate their ability to create solutions that help us to overcome the challenges of delivering large games electronically to a global audience,” commented Trond Ystanes, Operations Manager for Funcom. “We are extremely excited to announce our partnership because it represents an opportunity to make significant steps in the evolution of game delivery.”

Solid State has been working with Funcom since April to deliver the beta releases of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, culminating with the Early Access program which made the game available for purchase to a select group of beta testers one week prior to the retail launch. Funcom and Solid State successfully delivered the title to over 100,000 players in a matter of days, generating more than 2 petabytes of data transfer. Solid State deployed its software solution, which includes secure P2P capabilities based on the BitTorrent™ Protocol, in conjunction with the content delivery network (CDN) provided by Highwinds Network Group, thereby creating a true hybrid CDN/P2P delivery solution.

In June, Funcom expanded the use of Solid State’s solutions to support the distribution of Anarchy Online. Today, the companies are working closely together to incorporate Solid State’s technology in a manner that addresses challenges associated with taking the online game experience to new audiences on a variety of platforms.

“We are honored to partner with Funcom because they continue to push the envelope when it comes to game development, and in doing so, they are elevating the challenges of delivering and keeping those games updated,” stated Rick Buonincontri, founder and CEO of Solid State Networks. “We are proud to be playing such a crucial role in delivering Funcom’s games to players around the world and we will continue to strive to deliver the ultimate game acquisition experience as Funcom expands to other platforms and develops future projects.”

Studio to Focus on Music-Based Games

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept 12, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Further strengthening its development resources and underscoring its commitment to the music-based genre, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that it has acquired FreeStyleGames, a premier U.K.-based video game developer specializing in music-based games.

This acquisition represents the latest step in Activision Publishing’s strategy to expand its global leadership position in the music-based genre. The company established the genre with the Guitar Hero(R) franchise, which has sold in excess of 22 million units worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GFK. FreeStyleGames is currently developing localized downloadable content for the Guitar Hero franchise, as well as a yet to be announced new, intellectual property in the music genre.

“Activision Publishing is the undisputed leader in the music-based games and we see tremendous opportunity for continued growth, particularly in Europe,” said Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “An important part of our European growth strategy is to work with local developers and provide music content that resonates with the market. FreeStyleGames has an award-winning team with a history of developing innovative and creative music-based games and they are uniquely positioned to help us expand our leadership in the genre.”

“This is an exciting time for our company and great recognition of our success to date that Activision Publishing would look to welcome us to their studio roster,” said Jamie Jackson of FreeStyleGames. “Our goal has always been to deliver the most compelling entertainment experiences, and with the infrastructure, support and financial resources of Activision Publishing, we will be able to set our goals even higher than they are today.”

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, FreeStyleGames has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Publishing and the company’s management team has signed long-term employment contracts with Activision Publishing. The studio will continue to be based in Leamington Spa, U.K. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

London (10th September 2008) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that THE LEGEND OF KAGETM 2 will be available across all PAL territories in November 2008 exclusively for the Nintendo DSTM handheld system.

The hit arcade game is back! THE LEGEND OF KAGE 2’s nerve shredding brand of Ninja action is set to take over both screens of the Nintendo DS, engulfing players in a whirlwind of flashing katana, screaming shuriken and breathtaking mid-air combat.

Climb vertical cliffs, block enemy projectiles with your sword and hang from ceilings as only a true Ninja can. Master new Ninjutsu skills such as Bunshin no Jutsu to gain an advantage. This Shadow Replication Technique creates deadly duplicates of yourself, true mastery of Ninjutsu enables you to launch powerful flame attacks and even summon monsters. With elaborate stages and two unforgettable heroes THE LEGENED OF KAGE 2 breathes new life into the classic arcade action game from TAITO®.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “Retro arcade fans that own a Nintendo DS will find lots to enjoy with THE LEGEND OF KAGE 2. The action is very unique for the console, so there’s never been a better time to revisit this classic arcade title. I hope everyone enjoys the excitement and thrills of the LEGEND OF KAGE 2.”

Story

With the start of the shogun clan Tokugawa’s reign, the long years of bloodshed and strife have come to an end. People expected the peace to last forever. But old resentments from the past had yet to die…
There are those who scheme to take advantage of the extraordinary powers possessed by Kirihime, the sole priestess. Holding a grudge towards Tokugawa, Yoshiro Yukikusa kidnaps Kirihime in order to combine his own demonic powers with the priestess’s and overthrow the shogun’s reign.

Kage and Chihiro are ninjas of Iga, each on a mission to rescue the priestess.

But their fates are yet unknown beyond the demons they must slay in their paths…

Features

- High-Speed Gameplay: Test your reflexes over 12 action-packed stages offering true arcade gameplay on both screens of the Nintendo DS.
- Extreme Ninja Action: Run up walls, leap tall trees, and unleash a variety of devastating Ninjutsu arts with effects as diverse as self-duplication and dragon summoning!
- Two Playable Characters: Master the distinctive fighting styles of either Kage the Ninja or Chihiro the Kunoichi, and follow their personal stories to their dramatic conclusion.
- Character Customisation: Choose from 17 different Ninjutsu techniques to match your personal style of play and the unique challenges facing you.

dx, a leading custom hosting solutions provider dedicated to the games industry, is pleased to announce that it is providing managed hosting for Fantastic Contraption the 9/10 rated level-based physics puzzler.

The crushing weight of success enjoyed by Fantastic Contraption had left the main web and dB server struggling to cope with the huge level of demand. dx put forward an instant solution as well as a sensible upgrade path to allow Fantastic Contraption to cope with extraordinary levels of demand. As the reviews first started appearing new users registered at the rate of 25,000 a day and clocked up 200,000 plays of the game on a single Sunday.

dx supplied enterprise level hardware and managed the whole migration minimising downtime whilst providing a firm foundation upon which Fantastic Contraption can continue to flourish.

Lighthouse Interactive Reveals their Premier Console Game for Nintendo Wii and DS

Haarlem, The Netherlands – September 10, 2008 – Today leading worldwide videogame Publisher Lighthouse Interactive, part of SilverBirch Inc.’s (SVB:TSXV) videogame division, announced that they have acquired the worldwide rights to the multiplatform game Pirate Party: Adventures of the Black Corsair. Developed by Virtual Identity, this family friendly action adventure ‘party’ game for Nintendo Wii^TM and DS^TM is scheduled for worldwide release early next year. Six never-before-seen screenshots accompany this press release.

“2009 will be a significant year for us,” said Steve Wall, Vice President of Business Development for Lighthouse Interactive. “Given our recent acquisition by SilverBirch Inc., we now have the means to branch out into the console market. We are proud that Pirate Party will be our first of many console games to come and we are very happy to be working with the Virtual Identity team. Pirate Party has a wonderful mix of Adventure and party-style gameplay that gamers will love.”

“With respected publisher Lighthouse Interactive beaconing our way, we are confident that Pirate Party will be well received by a broad range of gamers,” said Alex Remotti, CEO of Virtual Identity. “Pirate Party has many unique features, but most importantly, it’s a ‘fun’ game that people will enjoy.”

SUMMARY

Pirate Party: Adventures of the Black Corsair invites players to become a marauding buccaneer in 17th century London. Double-crossed by their pirate Captain and branded traitors to their country, players will face countless perils as they struggle to clear their names and become the most famous Black Corsair – defender of the Crown. A fantastic new adventure is about to begin!

FEATURES

• Family friendly fun
• User-friendly and accessible for everyone
• The only ‘party’ game that allows gameplay in versus, single, cooperative, and story modes
• Explore 3 vast worlds, including: London City, The Tower of London, and The Royal Court
• Interact with a cast of humorous characters
• Conquer mini-games to unlock special game features
• Easy-to-use In-Game HUD featuring a diary, log, map, inventory, and puzzles
• Save Points and Check Points are spread throughout each level
• Simple navigation made possible by positioning the main character on the Map

For more information on Pirate Party: Adventures of the Black Corsair and to keep up with the latest breaking news, bookmark www.lighthouse-interactive.com.

Delivering an innovative way to experience handheld gaming, Tony Hawk’s Motion and Hue Pixel Painter feature accelerometer technology on the Nintendo DS.

In Tony Hawk’s Motion players can twist, tilt and turn through numerous skateboarding sessions and for the first time in franchise history, the game brings snowboarding to its line-up adding to the more than 20 diverse mini-challenges available including new ones like Rail Hopper and Slalom and familiar ones like Hawk-Man and High Score.

Once players finish grinding through locales like Tokyo, Dubai, Vermont and the Alps, they can switch gears and dip into the action-oriented puzzler Hue Pixel Painter. Uncovering sources of paint below the ground’s surface, players take Hue through various landscapes bringing color back to a dreary environment and defending against the Drabs who have set out to leave the world gray and bland.

KEY FEATURES:

• Same intuitive gameplay, Two unique experiences: The accelerometer-based control mechanism offers players innovative and original gameplay for two separate games in one package. Players take full control of characters by tilting, twisting and moving the DS to skate and snowboard in Tony Hawk’s Motion or bring color to a dull world in Hue Pixel Painter.

• Snowboarding introduced to the Tony Hawk franchise: Tony Hawk’s Motion brings an all-new experience to the franchise by introducing snowboarding for the first time with the help of pro snowboarder Todd Richards.

• Bring life and color to the world: In Hue Pixel Painter, quickly connect paint filled pools to transform still, barren wastelands into living landscapes of lush sounds and vivid color one element at a time.

• Exclusive music by top DJ/Remixer J. Period:Skate and snowboard in Tony Hawk’s Motion to constant beats and tempos mixed by one of the industry’s fastest-rising DJ/Remixers, J. Period.

• High replay value and gameplay variety: Players will glide through more than 10 levels as they bring color to various landscapes while preventing the vicious Drabs from devouring the color and essence from the world in Hue Pixel Painter or change gears with Tony Hawk’s Motion to face more than 20 skate and snowboarding challenges across four world locations.

Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Developer: Creat Studios
Release Date: November 2008

FOSTER CITY, Calif., September 9, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today the North American release of SingStar^® Country, available exclusively for the PlayStation^®2 computer entertainment system (PS2™) on October 28. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studio’s London Studio, SingStar Country brings one of the best-selling music genres to the PlayStation 2 system, delivering 30 hit songs from today’s newest and hottest country artists including, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill and more.

SCEA has teamed up with leading country music label group and sister company, Sony BMG Nashville, in order to bring country fans the most authentic music experience possible by allowing them to sing along to their favorite artist music videos. As a result, SingStar Country will be the first title in the franchise to feature artists on the cover, including popular Sony BMG Nashville country stars Brad Paisley, Gretchen Wilson and Alan Jackson. “It’s great to be one of the first SingStar Country artists,” comments Wilson. “This game lets me reach out to all country fans in a whole new way, not only giving them the chance to hear my music, but also to become a part of it.”

Additional Sony BMG Nashville stars featured on SingStar Country include Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Jessica Simpson, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry and others, including Kellie Pickler, who cheered, “I grew up wanting to be a country music singer and would sing other artists’ songs, and now people are going to be singing my song in SingStar Country? That’s cool!”

SCEA and Sony BMG Nashville also have joined up for “Sing Your Way to the CMA Awards”, a nationwide SingStar Country radio promotion beginning in September. SCEA and Sony BMG Nashville, in conjunction with radio stations in 12 major US markets including Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco, will host SingStar Country tournaments at local hotspots for players to win a chance to attend the 42nd Annual CMA Awards on November 12. The highest scorer from each market will have their in-game performances taped and posted online for the public to vote on via www.hearsomethingcountry.com. The participant with the most votes by the end of October will win tickets to attend the CMA Awards alongside their favorite SingStar Country artists.

Available both as a stand-alone disc and packaged with two high-quality USB microphones SingStar Country tops off every SingStar fan’s collection, proving that the franchise truly has something for everyone. As in previous SingStar titles, SingStar Country provides an interactive social singing experience by incorporating technology that recognizes pitch, tone and rhythm to accurately score players as they perform to real songs featuring real music videos. Aspiring country stars can to choose to sing solo or select from multiplayer gameplay modes sure to get the party started like Pass the Mic, Battle and Duet. Players may also use the EyeToy® USB camera to capture and play back their performances.

In addition to SingStar Country, the SingStar franchise will continue to expand its ever-growing catalogue this fall with two new additional PlayStation 2 installments, SingStar® Pop vol.2, the follow-up to the top-selling SingStar® Pop, and SingStar^® Legends, a mix of celebrated artists from Tina Turner to Nirvana. SingStar® for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) system also will be growing its library in October with SingStar® Vol.2 for PS3 featuring a variety of today’s popular artists including Eminem, Radiohead, Paramore, Pink and more.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated SingStar Country, SingStar Pop vol. 2, SingStar Legends and SingStar Vol. 2 “T” for Teen. For more information about the ESRB visitwww.esrb.org.

Sept. 11, 2008

Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ again topped the hardware sales charts for August, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. In August, more than 514,000 portable Nintendo DS systems sold in the United States, bringing the lifetime U.S. total to nearly 22 million. In August, more than 448,000 Wii consoles sold in the United States, bringing the lifetime U.S. total to nearly 12 million and extending its lead as the best-selling video game console of this generation.

Five games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit™ at No. 4 with nearly 395,000 sold, Mario Kart® Wii at No. 5 with nearly 329,000 sold, Wii Play™ at No. 6 with more than 200,000 sold, Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii at No. 9 with nearly 116,000 sold and Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS at No. 10 with more than 111,000 sold.

“The positive public response to Nintendo DS and Wii has stayed strong throughout 2008,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “New titles like Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii have joined top 10 veterans like Wii Fit, demonstrating the wide and long-lasting appeal of Nintendo games.”

For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.Nintendo.com.