Gaming on Windows better than ever with more than 60 branded titles and more than 12
Games for Windows - LIVE titles, including "Gears of War."
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - July 10, 2007 - Kick-starting the E3 Media & Business Summit
(E3) in Santa Monica with a bang, Microsoft Corp. unveiled incredible momentum for
the Games for Windows® initiative, announcing nearly 30 new titles carrying the
Games for Windows brand, including the addition of games from major publishers such
as Activision Inc., Bethesda Softworks® and Midway Home Entertainment Inc. Microsoft
also announced strong support for the Games for Windows - LIVE online service, with
Eidos Interactive Ltd., SEGA of America Inc. and THQ Inc. signed on to deliver
titles this year. In addition, Microsoft Game Studios unveiled plans to bring "Gears
of War," the best-selling Xbox 360(tm) game of 2006, and the hit game "Viva Piñata®"
to Microsoft® Windows XP and Windows Vista® gamers this year as Games for
Windows-branded titles with LIVE support.
"Windows gaming is set to see one of its best years ever," said Peter Moore,
corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the
Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "With an incredible range of
phenomenal titles, amazing hardware and the rapid adoption of Windows Vista, Windows
gamers will remember holiday 2007 as a landmark year for PC gaming."
A Driving Force: Games for Windows
Microsoft's Games for Windows initiative is in full swing and is set to deliver its
strongest Windows portfolio lineup ever this holiday. Microsoft announced nearly 30
new Games for Windows-branded titles and will bring more than 60 Games for
Windows-branded titles to store shelves this holiday, including the highly
anticipated releases "Crysis," "Hellgate: London," "Age of Conan: Hyborian
Adventures" and "World in Conflict." With approximately 2.5 million units of Games
for Windows-branded titles already sold worldwide, the biggest names in gaming,
including Electronic Arts Inc., Atari Inc., Midway, SEGA, 2K Games and Activision,
have committed to publish titles that deliver the quality, compatibility and safety
features offered by games carrying the Games for Windows brand. New titles announced
at E3 include:
* "Age of Empires® III: The Asian Dynasties" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Bee Movie(tm) Game" (Activison)
* "BlackSite: Area 51" (Midway Games)
* "Clive Barker's Jericho(tm)" (Codemasters)
* "The Club" (SEGA)
* "Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts" (THQ)
* "Empire Earth® 3" (Sierra Entertainment)
* "Fallout® 3" (Bethesda Softworks®)
* "Flight Simulator X: Acceleration" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Gears of War" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Hour of Victory" (Midway Games)
* "John Woo Presents Stranglehold" (Midway Games)
* "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights" (THQ)
* "Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" (Eidos)
* "Nancy Drew®: Legend of Crystal Skull" (Her Interactive Inc.)
* "Operation Flashpoint(tm) 2" (Codemasters)
* "Rise of the Argonauts" (Codemasters)
* "Rogue Warrior" (Bethesda Softworks)
* "SEGA Rally Revo" (SEGA)
* "Sid Meier's Civilization IV®: Beyond the SwordTM" (2K Games)
* "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Gold Edition" (2K Games)
* "Spider-Man(tm): Friend or Foe" (Activision)
* "Star Wars® Empire at War®: Gold Pack" (LucasArts)
* "The Witcher" (Atari)
* "Thrillville(tm): Off the Rails(tm)" (LucasArts)
* "Turning Point(tm): Fall of Liberty" (Codemasters)
* "Universe at War: Earth Assault(tm)" (SEGA)
* "Viva Piñata" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Zoo Tycoon® 2: Extinct Animals" (Microsoft Game Studios)
In addition, Eidos, SEGA and THQ announced their intention to join Microsoft Game
Studios in supporting the Games for Windows - LIVE online service for Windows XP and
Windows Vista. The first wave of titles to support the service includes the
following:
* "The Club" (SEGA)
* "Gears of War" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights" (THQ)
* "Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" (Eidos)
* "Universe at War: Earth Assault" (SEGA)
* "Viva Piñata" (Microsoft Game Studios)
Microsoft Game Studios is set to bring the critically acclaimed "Gears of War" and
"Viva Piñata" to the Windows platform, both of which will support Games for Windows
- LIVE. "Gears of War" will emerge on Windows XP-based and Windows Vista-based PCs
this holiday with five new campaign chapters, a new multiplayer mode and a new game
editor that will unleash the creativity of "Gears of War" players - only available
for Windows. "Gears of War" will also take advantage of DirectX® 10 graphics
technology, which is only available on Windows Vista. Also today, Epic Games
unveiled the addition of Games for Windows - LIVE integration to the award winning
Unreal® Engine 3. This landmark announcement will make it easier than ever for game
developers using Epic's next-generation technology to take advantage of Microsoft's
online gaming network.
Games for Windows - LIVE titles enable gamers to easily find and communicate with
their friends online, earn Achievements and play with others on Windows XP, Windows
Vista and Xbox 360. The free Silver membership delivers the value that PC gamers
expect from an online service, offering free PC-to-PC multiplayer support and
in-game voice chat, while going beyond with single-player support, including
Achievements and a consistent Gamertag and Friends List across games. For the gamer
looking to take it to the next level, the Gold membership, which costs around $4 a
month with an annual subscription, includes all the Silver Membership features and
adds cross-platform gameplay in select games, TrueSkill(tm) matchmaking and more.
Current Xbox LIVE members' accounts automatically have the equivalent membership on
Games for Windows - LIVE, with the same Gamertag they use on Xbox LIVE. By the end
of this year, gamers on Windows XP and Windows Vista will have at least a dozen
Games for Windows - LIVE-enabled titles to chose from, with many more slated for
2008 and beyond.
Gaming on the New Frontier: Windows Vista
Windows Vista has rapidly been embraced as Microsoft's best version of Windows ever
for gaming. After just seven months, nearly 10 million gamers are now running
Windows Vista worldwide. Fans of great gaming hardware for Windows will also have
some of the best choices ever with announcements from Commodore Gaming and Toshiba
America Inc. Commodore Gaming will introduce a new line of high-end custom-gaming
PCs that ship exclusively with Windows Vista, DirectX 10 hardware, a Games for
Windows - LIVE title and one month of Games for Windows - LIVE Gold membership with
every PC shipped through the end of the year. Toshiba America also previewed its
first line of DirectX 10-compatible laptops, bringing a no-compromise gaming
experience to mobile computers.
At E3, Microsoft is demonstrating innovation and leadership across two of the
world's most popular next-generation gaming platforms: Windows and Xbox 360. Xbox
360 gamers will enjoy the strongest console lineup in video game history with
experiences that go beyond the box with Xbox LIVE Marketplace content. Windows
gamers will have more high-quality choices than ever for gaming on their PC and
online. Together, Microsoft's gaming platforms will deliver the best holiday season
ever.
About Games for Windows
Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games,
delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices, and
advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the
cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most
enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can
be found online at
http://www.gamesforwindows.com.
About Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE
These LIVE services for gaming provide the first and a fully comprehensive
cross-platform gaming experience, uniting players on Xbox 360 and select Games for
Windows titles. These LIVE services make it easy for members to find friends, games
and entertainment regardless of their preferred platform. LIVE connects millions of
members across 25 countries, allowing them to easily communicate with each other and
to enjoy the convenience of a single
gamer profile, Gamerscore and Friends List while playing hundreds of multiplayer
games. When accessing Xbox Live from an Xbox 360, members can download a wide
variety of content that includes games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium
playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies as well as new game levels,
characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be
found online at
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live and
http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US...aboutLive.aspx.
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.
Spider-Man and all related characters and certain elements: TM & © 2007 Marvel
Characters, Inc. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 movie elements: © 2002, ©
2004, © 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. Certain game
elements: © 2007 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark of
Activision Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.
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