Montreal, Quebec. May 2001 - Strategy First, one of the leading worldwide publishers of PC-CD ROM games, announced today that it will be attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held in Los Angeles, California May 22-24, 2002. (South Hall, Booth #924)

“The past two years have been incredibly successful for us, “said Don McFatridge, President of Strategy First. “We are looking forward to solidifying more relationships with other developers and industry partners and also meeting those partners that we have not yet had the opportunity to meet in person. E3 is a great avenue for us to do that.”

Strategy First has become one of the largest independent publishers in the industry. It was recently named one of the Top 50 Software Publishers in 2001 by PC Data and has expanded its operations into the worldwide market by building partnerships with leading European publishers, such as Wanadoo, Arxel Tribe, Pan Vision and Nobilis. The company will be meeting with international developers to evaluate potential titles for their third party line-up and will also be solidifying distribution agreements and various marketing relationships.

Strategy First will also be presenting some of its 2002 titles on the show floor. Among the titles being shown are: O.R.B., a highly anticipated 3D real-time space strategy game; G.I. Combat, a 3D RTS title from the designers of the Close Combat series; Strike Fighters: Project 1, a multi-faceted flight-simulator that features one of the most versatile combat aircrafts of all time, the McDonnell Douglas F-4; Celtic Kings: Rage of War, a real-time strategy game that blends role-playing and adventure elements with innovative gameplay; Prince of Qin, an action RPG that unfolds during the historic Qin Dynasty; Nexagon: The Pit, a 3D real-time tactical game that transports players to a futuristic world unlike any other; Steel Beasts II, the sequel to the award-winning Steel Beasts; and World War II Online, the massively multiplayer online game which unfolds during the relentless period of WWII.

To book an appointment to view Strategy First’s line-up, please contact Christina Ginger, Director of Communications at cginger@strategyfirst.com. To make an appointment to discuss business partnerships, please contact our Business Development Department at business@strategyfirst.com.

The dates and times for each chat are:

Tucker Hatfield
Combat Flight Simulator 3
Microsoft Game Studios
4pm PDT Friday, May 17

Alex Garden
Impossible Creatures
Relic Entertainment
5pm PDT Friday, May 17

Bruce Shelley
Age of Mythology
Ensemble Studios
2pm PDT Saturday, May 18

Brian Reynolds
Rise of Nations
Big Huge Games
5pm PDT Tuesday, May 21

Hatfield is program manager for Microsoft's combat simulation titles. He's currently leading the creation of Combat Flight Simulator 3, the cutting-edge World War II air combat simulation due out this fall. He came to Microsoft from Sierra and legendary simulation developer Dynamix.

Garden's first project with Microsoft Game Studios is Impossible Creatures, an innovative strategy game in which players combine different species of common animals to produce new, unheard-of creatures. Garden first made a name for himself and Relic Entertainment with Homeworld, the revolutionary and critically acclaimed 3D real-time strategy game.

Shelley is a founding member of Ensemble Studios, which created the smash hits Age of Empires and Age of Empires II. Ensemble's upcoming Age of Mythology builds on that series' trademark historical elements with the timeless power of a pantheon of gods and monsters. One of the gods of strategy gaming, Shelley worked with the legendary Sid Meier on such classics as the original Civilization and Railroad Tycoon.

Released in November 2001, Empire Earth has become a worldwide hit, with over one million copies sold. The game has won numerous industry awards, including PC Game of the Year honors from GameSpy.com, a "Gold Award" accolade by PC Action magazine in Germany, and a "Trophy Award" for special achievement in gaming from PC Team magazine in France.

Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest includes three new single-player campaigns set in ancient Rome, the Pacific Theater of World War II, and Asia in the 24th century. In addition, each of the 21 pre-designed civilizations in the game gains a unique special power, building, or unit. Examples include: the Kingdom of Italy's Metallurgy power, which allows them to pay building costs with gold or iron interchangeably; Great Britain's S.A.S. unit will be able to plant demolitions and swim across water; and the United States' market building will allow that civilization to trade abundant resources for scarce ones.

Legion transports players back in time, two thousand years ago, before the world was ruled by Rome and when the next great empire was set to rise.

Players take control of one of the many tribes, city states or leagues in Italy at the time Rome was rising to dominate the area. In this epic game, players must control cities, allocate workers to collect resources, build fortresses for protection and train new regiments on some of the most spectacular battlefields based on accurate maps of ancient Rome. Up to 20 AI sides will compete against each other, with their own strengths and weaknesses relevant to the nations that would have been involved at that time.

Players who enjoy empire building, but don’t want to have to micro-manage every aspect, and those who are more combat oriented, but don’t want yet another frenetic click fest, should both find something to their taste in Legion.

"This relationship will further strengthen Microsoft's position in the industry as a premier publisher and incubator of high-quality games and innovative content," said Stuart Moulder, general manager at Microsoft Game Studios. "Brad and Jeff's skill in creating compelling and immersive gaming worlds, combined with our commitment to supporting our development partners, will create a rich opportunity to develop exciting new game environments and experiences."

"This is a match made in heaven," said McQuaid, CEO of Sigil Games Online. "We couldn't have found a better publisher. Microsoft understands our ideas and goals, is committed to creating a superior gaming experience, and has the industry expertise to make it happen."

Akaei announces that it is to publish Earth 2150: Lost Soul’s, the third Real Time Strategy (RTS) title in the Smash hit Earth 2150 series. Both previous 2150 title’s received critical acclaim and scooped a mass of
awards.

Earth 2150: Lost Souls, is being developed by Reality Pump (previously known as Topware), the same team that created the first two titles and have been heavily concentrating on developing advancements in their 3D engine technology.

Earth 2150: Lost Souls is scheduled to be released on PC CD-ROM in Quarter 3 2002 and Akaei is making the game a priority title. The game raise’s Akaei’s status as a UK publisher, building its portfolio of anticipated PC CD ROM titles.

Lost Soul’s, continues the narrative of conflict between the three warring factions: the Eurasian Dynasty, the United Civilized States and the Lunar Corporation. In the previous instalment’s, devastating wars between the factions wreaked havoc and caused mortal wounds to planet Earth. Nuclear
explosions close to the Antarctic had changed the Earth’s orbit around the sun, glaciers melted, the sea rose to a threatening level. Meteorite showers buried whole parts of the world.

Famous Scientists from the Lunar Corporation, a long forgotten colony on the moon first recognised the signs of imminent catastrophe. According to their
calculations the distance between the Sun and the Earth would decrease in the next few years by 17%, which would lead to terrible consequences.

Planet Earth, the home of Human beings for thousands of years would be destroyed: the only hope left for earth’s population was to leave Earth and escape to the Blue Planet.

The “Sunlight” project allowed the largest part of the population to flee from the near destruct Earth - those left behind became known as the “Lost Souls”.

Microsoft Game Studios announced today it will partner with legendary musician and producer Nile Rodgers to distribute and market the audio soundtrack for its mega-hit Xbox video game, "Halo: Combat Evolved". Under the agreement, Rodgers’ Sumthing Distribution will manufacture and handle retail marketing, sales, and distribution of the "Halo: Combat Evolved" soundtrack CD on the Sumthing Else Musicworks label. The soundtrack is set for release on June 11 at music retailers nationwide. The editors of Rolling Stone recently named "Halo: Combat Evolved" as the video game with the "Best Original Soundtrack" for 2001.

Legendary producer/artist/entrepreneur Nile Rodgers, CEO of Sumthing Distribution, said “Our expertise in distribution to our national retailers in combination with Microsoft’s online capability will guarantee a successful launch of the soundtrack for 'Halo: Combat Evolved'.”

Andy Uterano, president of Sumthing Distribution, envisions a long-lasting relationship with Microsoft: “This soundtrack has a lot of elements to it - cool drum beats, techno sounds and orchestral score - that weave a recurring theme. Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell approached this soundtrack like he would a film, and the outcome is awesome!”

“We are ecstatic to have the soundtrack for Halo: Combat Evolved available to our fans," said Steve Fowler, Bungie product manager. “With well over one million copies of 'Halo: Combat Evolved' sold, we are sure there will be great demand for this amazing soundtrack.”

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 North America, Japan, Europe and Australia. More information on Xbox can be found at http://www.xbox.com/.

Award winning record producer Nile Rodgers is one of the most prolific music producers in history. Nile’s production accomplishments include such diverse artists as Diana Ross, Madonna, David Bowie, Duran Duran, The B52’s, David Lee Roth, Grace Jones, Mick Jagger and many more. Records produced by Nile Rodgers have sold well over 100 million worldwide. As a founding member of the perennial Rhythm & Blues dance band, Chic, Nile co-wrote many of its big hits including “Le Freak” and “Good Times”, as well as “We Are Family” for Sister Sledge. In addition to records, he has also scored or produced music for numerous films, including “Coming to America”, “Thelma and Louise”, “The Flintstones”, “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Rush Hour II” as well as a variety of television shows and commercials. Nile is a board member of several organizations including the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). Currently, Nile is producing a new album for Duran Duran, yet still finds the time to run his own record label and distribution company.

Four years ago Nile Rodgers started Sumthing Distribution. As a nationwide record distributor and creative outlet for independent artists and record labels the company prides itself on its ability to permeate the marketplace with many innovative projects. The first record to make its way into Sumthings distribution system was the David Lee Roth album, “Slam Dunk”, which ultimately sold more copies than the previous Roth outing on Warner Brothers Records.