Here Come the Xbox 360 Games: Industry Giant Square Enix Pledges Commitment

Here Come the Xbox 360 Games:
Industry Giant Square Enix Pledges Commitment

Electronic Arts announces largest
commitment in its history to Xbox 360; key industry publishers already in
development on more than 160 Xbox 360 games; Xbox Live community fast
approaching 2 million members; Xbox 360 backward compatible with top-selling
Xbox games

LOS ANGELES — May 16, 2005 — On the
heels of the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system worldwide premiere on
MTV last week, Microsoft Corp. released a flurry of announcements tonight to a
packed house at the Shrine Auditorium. Bolstering the promise that Xbox 360
immerses players at the center of the most powerful next-generation games and
entertainment experiences, the company revealed that Square Enix Co. Ltd. — an
industry-leading developer and publisher of the world-renowned “FINAL FANTASY®”
series, which has sold more than 60 million units worldwide — will release
“FINAL FANTASY XI” for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live™. “FINAL FANTASY XI” is just the
beginning: Square Enix will work closely with Microsoft on Xbox 360 and Xbox
Live.

“We’re honored that Square Enix will
make games like ‘FINAL FANTASY XI’ for the millions of Xbox® fans who have
anticipated this historical moment for quite some time,” said Robbie Bach,
senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment
Division at Microsoft. “Together, we will chart a new course for the future of
video game entertainment.”

“Xbox has become a major force in
video-game innovation, and we couldn’t be more captivated by the Xbox 360
canvas,” said Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix. “As the world’s first
cross-platform online game with more than 500,000 users, ‘FINAL FANTASY XI’ will
take advantage of the incredible power of the Xbox 360 platform, immersing
gamers in spellbinding stories that come to life in high definition and through
collaborative online gameplay.”

Reinforcing the electricity
accompanying Xbox 360, leading video games publisher EA announced that its
groundbreaking Xbox 360 games symbolize its largest commitment to a
next-generation platform launch. Demonstrating the strength of a world-class
portfolio, EA has committed to a broad lineup of Xbox 360 titles including
“Madden NFL 06,” “Need for Speed™ Most Wanted,” “FIFA 06,” “Tiger Woods PGA
TOUR® 06,” “The Godfather™ The Game” and “NBA Live 06.”

The company also announced Xbox 360
will be backward-compatible with top-selling Xbox games. In addition, more than
160 games are in development for Xbox 360, with 25 to 40 games slated for
release this calendar year. All are optimized for high-definition output (720p
and 1080i). The following games are among the exciting new titles, many
console-exclusives, in development from the biggest names in publishing today:

 “Blue Dragon”
(Microsoft Game Studios, Mistwalker Inc.) from Hironobu Sakaguchi, original
creator of the “FINAL FANTASY” series, is an epic role-playing game (RPG)
featuring the original artwork of Akira Toriyama, creator of the “Dragonball”
series of manga and anime.

 “Call of Duty® 2”
(Activision Publishing Inc., Infinity Ward), the sequel to the 2003 Game of the
Year, delivers a vivid portrayal of the chaos and cinematic intensity of World
War II through stunningly detailed graphics, advanced artificial intelligence
(AI) and explosive action.

 “Condemned: Criminal
Origins” (SEGA, Monolith Productions Inc.) is a first-person psychological
thriller featuring photorealistic graphics, advanced enemy AI and a strong dose
of atmospheric tension. The hunt for a notorious serial killer offers gamers
combat and game environments that are unpredictable and terrifyingly real.

 “Dead or Alive 4,” (Tecmo
Inc., Team Ninja) will be the defining gaming experience on Xbox 360. It will
encompass all that the next-generation console has to offer, giving players the
most rewarding digital fighting experience to date on any video game console.

“DEAD RISING (Working Title)”
(Capcom, Capcom) follows the harrowing tale of an overzealous freelance
photojournalists as he struggles to survive an endless stream of zombies.
Players will have full reign of a realistic shopping center, utilizing anything
they find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob and search for the truth behind the
horrendous epidemic.

 “The Elder Scrolls:
Oblivion” (Bethesda Softworks/2K Games, Bethseda Game Studios) is a
quintessential role-playing game for the next generation and another leap
forward in gaming. “Oblivion” is the latest chapter in the epic and highly
successful “Elder Scrolls” saga and utilizes next-generation video game hardware
to fully immerse players in the experience.

 “Full Auto” (SEGA,
Pseudo Interactive Inc.) redefines combat racing with physics technology that
enables bigger crashes and the most destructive play experience ever captured in
the racing genre. Amazingly detailed vehicles race through packed city streets
with guns blazing, laying spectacular waste to other vehicles and buildings that
get in their way.

 “Gears of War”
(Microsoft Game Studios, Epic Games Inc.) blends the best of tactical action
games with the best of survival horror titles, thrusting gamers into the
harrowing story of humankind’s battle for survival against the Locust Horde,
creating cinematic, high-definition visuals so intense and powerful, it feels
like the gamers are controlling a blockbuster action movie.

 “Kameo™: Elements of
Power™” (Microsoft Game Studios, Rare Ltd.) is an action-adventure game with
role-playing elements for gamers of all ages and skill levels. From legendary
game developer Rare, “Kameo: Elements of Power” sends players on a magical and
epic journey full of intense combat, magnificent exploration and innovative
morph-into-warrior action.

 “Lost Odyssey™”
(Microsoft Game Studios, Mistwalker), is a truly next-generation RPG created by
acclaimed artists Takehiko Inoue (Japanese manga creator, made famous by “Slam
Dunk”), Kiyoshi Shigematsu (a famous Japanese novelist) and Nobuo Uematsu
(Japanese music composer, known for creating the music for the “FINAL FANTASY”
series of games). The game is produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the
original “FINAL FANTASY” series.

 “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS”
(Microsoft Game Studios, Q Entertainment/Phantagram Ltd.) is a brand-new fantasy
action game by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, known as the creator of “Space Channel 5,”
“Rez” and the recent “Luminese,” developed in collaboration with the renowned
Korean developer Phantagram.

 “The Outfit” (THQ Inc.,
Relic Entertainment) takes explosive World War II combat to the next generation
in an all-new, third-person action game. Combining intense squad-based combat
and easy-to-use strategic gameplay elements, “The Outfit” takes players behind
enemy lines, battling the Nazi war machine through a variety of combat missions.

 “Perfect Dark: Zero™”
(Microsoft Game Studios, Rare) is the prequel to the hugely popular and
critically acclaimed “Perfect Dark®.” Set in the year 2020 — years before the
original hit game — “Perfect Dark: Zero” reveals the origins of Joanna Dark, one
of the most lethal special agents.

“Project Gotham Racing® 3”
(Microsoft Game Studios, Bizarre Creations Ltd.) is the latest entry in the
award-winning “Project Gotham Racing” franchise and expands on the features and
gameplay that race fans have grown to know and love. “PGR™ 3” enables gamers to
create the ultimate roster of the hottest supercars in existence, introduces
them to the high-definition era and drops them into a completely new racing
world where style rules the road.

"QUAKE 4™"(Activision, id
Software and Raven Software) is the sequel to the award-winning and historic
“QUAKE II™.” In a war for Earth’s survival against an unrelenting enemy, the
only way to defeat them is to become one of them.

“Saint’s Row” (THQ, Volition
Inc.) harnesses the power of the Xbox 360 platform to combine compelling,
cinematic storytelling with unprecedented customization. Ushering in the next
evolution of open-world gameplay, “Saint’s Row” watches players rise from thug
to kingpin in a robust, nonlinear environment that reacts and adapts to their
every move. “Saint’s Row” features both single-player and online multiplayer
modes.

“Test Drive® Unlimited”
(Atari, Eden Games) is the ultimate automotive experience for car and bike
enthusiasts alike. “Test Drive Unlimited” challenges players online to
experience the most exotic and fastest vehicles on more than 1,000 miles of
diverse Hawaiian roads.

Xbox Live: A 2-Million-Member
Movement and Rapidly Expanding

By the end of June, Xbox Live —
where games, entertainment and community come alive — will surpass the
2-million-member mark, a doubling of the community in just the past year. Adding
fuel to its relentless ascension, this holiday season Xbox Live will have more
than 300 multiplayer games available, with new titles such as “Tony Hawk’s
American Wasteland™” (Activision), “Star Wars Battlefront™ II” (LucasArts) and
“Burnout™ Revenge” (Electronic Arts) for Xbox, and “PGR 3” (Microsoft Game
Studios), “Madden NFL 06” (Electronic Arts) and “Call of Duty 2” (Activision)
for Xbox 360.

Xbox Live memberships will transfer
seamlessly from Xbox to Xbox 360 when the new system launches.

More exponential growth is on the
horizon, because a Silver level of Xbox Live service will be available at no
extra cost to Xbox 360 players who choose a broadband connection for their
system. With the Silver level of service, gamers immediately access the Xbox
Live Marketplace to download demos and trailers along with new game levels,
maps, weapons, vehicles, skins, classic arcade games, card and board games,
community-created content, and more to the detachable Xbox 360 hard drive.
Players can also voice chat with friends, and send and receive text and voice
messages.

In addition, Xbox 360 owners new to
Xbox Live will kick-start their experience with a free month of the full
subscription service, or Gold level, which will allow them to enjoy the full
power of the service, including online multiplayer gaming, online tournaments
and exclusive, original programming.

Special features available to Gold
subscribers only also include Spectator Mode, which will supercharge the entire
Xbox Live game experience. For example, in “PGR 3,” gamers can watch any of
their friends and the world’s top players on live spectator feeds, get live
ticker-tape information when friends break records, and compete with anyone,
anywhere, anytime. Through riveting games and new community features, Microsoft
expects to connect half of all Xbox 360 consoles to Xbox Live.

“With new levels of service and new
features like Gamer Profiles, Xbox Live Marketplace, spectator mode and video
chat inspiring new ideas and audiences, Xbox 360 has us re-imagining the future
of online games,” said Laurent Detoc, executive director of Ubisoft North
America. “Every great game in the next generation will be a great online game.
Gamers can count on Ubisoft to push the possibilities of Xbox Live to the very
edge.”

The Xbox Platform — Powering the
Xbox 360 Games and Entertainment

Xbox 360 is designed with a singular
platform vision that fuses high-performance hardware and intelligent software
and services so the player is always in power. Offering the greatest value in
entertainment today, Microsoft detailed more key platform experiences that come
standard with every Xbox 360 system:

• An IBM PowerPC-based CPU with
  three symmetrical cores running at 3.2 GHz each, packing the most advanced AI
  and physics processing available

• A custom ATI Graphics processor
  and more than 512 MB of memory for high-definition games and entertainment
  applications

• All games optimized for 16:9
  aspect ratio, HD output (720p and 1080i), multichannel surround sound output,
  and full-screen anti-aliasing

• Detachable and upgradeable 20GB
  hard drive to download demos and trailers along with new game levels, maps,
  weapons, vehicles, skins, community-created content and more, to rip music for
  playback and to listen to custom playlists in every game

• A wireless controller with
  Microsoft®-patented wireless technology; Xbox Guide Button on every controller
  to instantly connect gamers to their games, friends and music, and to power on
  or power off Xbox 360 without their having to leave the couch

• Gamer Profile software that
  remembers what players have achieved in games

• Instant, out-of-the-box access to
  Xbox Live, including a built-in Ethernet port for connectivity; Xbox Live
  Marketplace for downloadable content; a Message Center to receive voice and
  video messages from friends; functionality that let users talk to friends,
  even while watching movies or listening to music; and an Xbox Live Headset
  

• Three USB 2.0 ports for Xbox Live
  Camera peripheral, to plug in wired game controllers that are also common for
  Windows®-based PCs; to stream media from a portable media device, digital
  camera and Windows XP-based PC

• Progressive-scan DVD movie
  playback out of the box; DVD and CD music and photo playback out of the box;
  support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW,
  Windows Media® Audio CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD

• Media Center Extender built in to
  access recorded TV (including high-definition TV) and digital movies
  (including high-definition film), music, video and photos stored on Windows XP
  Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs through any Xbox 360 system

• Support for up to four wireless
  game controllers and an optional Universal Media Remote with Windows XP Media
  Center Edition Button for Media Center Edition functionality

• Support for Xbox 360 Wireless
  Network Adapter via 802.11b, g and a

• Interactive, full-screen 3-D
  visualizers

• Two memory unit ports to save data
  on portable memory units, starting at 64 MB

• Detachable Face so each console
  can be personalized

• Parental Controls to help restrict
  the games and movies that are played; Xbox Live controls to manage Friends
  List, voice and video communication, and Gamer Profile sharing

Xbox Demand at an All-Time High

Xbox continues to deliver thrilling,
platform-driving games and gamers can expect more than 200 new Xbox titles this
year, with hundreds more in 2006 and beyond. Xbox blockbusters in the making
include “Half-Life 2” (Valve Corp.), “Need for Speed Most Wanted” (Electronic
Arts), “Ultimate Spider-Man” (Activision), “Far Cry Instincts” (Ubisoft), “The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” (Buena Vista Games),
“Star Wars Battlefront II” (LucasArts), “Shadow The Hedgehog” (SEGA), “Tony
Hawk’s American Wasteland” (Activision), “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lockdown” (Ubisoft)
and “Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™” (Electronic Arts).

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the future-generation
video game and entertainment system that places gamers at the center of the
experience. Available this holiday season in North America, Europe and Japan,
Xbox 360 will ignite a new era of digital entertainment that is always
connected, always personalized and always in high definition.

About Xbox Live

Now in its third generation of
transforming and uniting Xbox game communities, with more than 300 games planned
by end of holiday 2005 and now with presence in 24 countries worldwide, Xbox
Live has set the bar for online games entertainment. As the first global,
unified online console games service, Xbox Live continues to take online
gameplay and entertainment to unprecedented heights. With a rapidly growing
global community, Xbox Live offers best-in-class games, intelligent matchmaking,
tournaments, unique programming and integration with Xbox.com — there is simply
nothing else like it. The service continues to provide more and more ways for
members to meet, interact and stay engaged with each other.

About Microsoft Founded in 1975,
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and
solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Xbox, Rare, Kameo: Elements of Power, Perfect Dark: Zero, Perfect Dark, Project
Gotham Racing, PGR, Windows and Windows Media are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. or Rare Ltd. in the United States and/or other
countries.

Need for Speed is a registered
trademark of Electronic Arts Inc. Square Enix and FINAL FANTASY are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Square Enix Co. Ltd. In Japan and/or other countries

Rare Ltd. is a subsidiary of
Microsoft Corp. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may
be the trademarks of their respective owners.