LONDON – July 16, 2008 – Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG) is creating a video game based on Universal Pictures’ blockbuster action-thriller Wanted, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. The game will be published worldwide by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and is being developed by renowned game developer GRIN, best known for its work on the Tom Clancy: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series and the upcoming Bionic Commando. The film, which was released on June 27, 2008, has earned $192 million in worldwide box office to date.

Based upon Mark Millar’s graphic novel series and helmed by stunning visualist director Timur Bekmambetov — creator of the most successful Russian film franchise in history — Wanted tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation as he is introduced to a new life and new powers that he never knew existed. With the film’s successful release, the world has been introduced to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson.

“Wanted is a film with a fantastic visual style, an in-your-face attitude and edge-of-your-seat action sequences, and moviegoers around the world have resoundingly embraced it,” said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. “From the time we read the script and saw the film’s pre-visual material, it was clear that Wanted was a powerful property – one that was well poised to deliver an engaging gaming experience. We look forward to working closely with the film’s creative team to extend Wanted’s mythology and to expand the story behind the Fraternity of Assassins.”

The Wanted video game will feature intense third-person action, taking combat to a new level with iconic moves — such as “curving bullets” and “Assassin Time” — drawn directly from the film, as well as an innovative, multi-layered cover mechanic. The storyline of the game will pick up where the movie leaves off, providing fans with another chapter to explore both Wesley’s journey into becoming an überassassin and the epic fiction of the Fraternity.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will publish the Wanted video game, utilizing its premiere sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to deliver the title to gamers worldwide.

“Wanted is a striking property with gripping action, which presents strong gaming possibilities,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Publishing the Wanted game is an excellent opportunity for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to team with Universal on a global property with terrific cross-platform potential. Players will get to immerse themselves in the Wanted universe with a stunning visual experience and engaging gameplay.”

The project also re-teams UPDPG with executive game producer Pete Wanat, who has previously collaborated with the film studio on critically acclaimed movie-based games The Thing, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, and Scarface: The World is Yours.

“The team at GRIN has a proven track record of creating action games that push the envelope in terms of gameplay and combat,” said Mr. Wanat. “With the Wanted video game, GRIN is creating entirely new gameplay mechanics and an experience that pulls no punches. Gamers and fans of the film alike will be blown away by the ability to curve bullets, pull off amazing combat sequences and literally conduct a symphony orchestra of action with the arsenal available to the most powerful assassins in the world.”

The Wanted game, in development since early 2007, will be available later this year for consoles and personal computer. For more information on the film and franchise, please visit www.wantedmovie.com.

Wednesday 16th July, Brighton, UK/… There is a reason for the rejoicing in Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles™. It is official – NCsoft® has completely merged the two games into one game universe. All current subscribers who only had one of the games (City of Heroes® or City of Villains®) now have access to the features of both games. Additionally, all City of Heroes and City of Villains games for sale at retail or online will grant access to both games.

This is the final step needed in preparing the IP for future projects, to be announced later this year. Paragon City and the Rogue Isles have always been a part of the same game universe. When City of Villains launched in 2005 as a stand-alone game, it did not launch with an extra subscription fee, so there has always been this feeling that they are closely related. What’s different here is that NCsoft has taken down the barrier where players had to have a City of Villains serial code to make a villain, and vice versa. Now, it doesn’t matter if you bought Heroes or Villains, you can make characters from either faction you want and experience their unique game content. Additionally, Heroes now have access to base building, which was previously only available if you had purchased City of Villains.

“In setting the stage for our upcoming plans for the IP, we felt the time was right to truly consolidate the City of Heroes and City of Villains universe,” said Brian Clayton, General Manager and Executive Producer. “We have removed all restrictions that were created when City of Villains launched in order to make way for some really cool content and features we have in the pipeline. This is an evolution of the IP that lays the foundation for what’s to come.”

The most recent game update, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, launched in May and included a wealth of features, including a new Greek and Roman inspired zone, Villain Epic Archetypes, Powerset Proliferation, as well as more character slots so that players can try out the new character powers and Archetypes.

“We know that character variety is one of our greatest strengths and that’s why our players love to create new characters” said Matt Miller, Lead Designer. “Even former players who reactivate will be pleasantly surprised to see new open character slots waiting for them.”

Uniting the City of Heroes universe enables the development team to focus on other features slated to come in future installments. Improvements to Supergroup Bases and raids, an offline character reward system, and the previously revealed Mission Maker are just some of the systems that will see the benefits of a unified City of Heroes game.

Wednesday 16th July/… Taking gamers as close to war as they’ll ever want to get, Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising is the much anticipated return of the genre-defining military conflict simulator. Set to deliver the total combat experience, Operation Flashpoint 2 will challenge players to survive the chaos and rapidly evolving situations of modern warfare in a new contemporary theatre.

Players will experience the intensity, diversity and claustrophobia of a modern conflict from the unique perspectives of an infantry marine, a helicopter pilot, a Special Forces officer or a tank commander, each engaged against the full force of the Chinese PLA on a scale never previously experienced in a military action title. Gameplay simulates an immense conflict between advanced forces and provides unparalleled scope with different military disciplines, vehicles and equipment for players to utilize.

Freedom of Play – Operation Flashpoint 2 will give players the freedom to handle military crisis situations on their initiative. Unscripted missions will task players with real objectives, such as laying down covering fire, covering a friendly unit’s retreat or conducting short-range recon patrol. Armed with cutting edge military hardware, players will need to balance brute force with intelligent use of tactics. Once players have completed the campaign, a Mission Editor enables gamers to create their own single player and multiplayer missions.

The most realistic modern military conflict game – Operation Flashpoint 2 features unparalleled levels of realism and variety of military forces, equipment, weapons and tactics. Fully loaded weapons and individual ammunition types will be simulated with detailed ballistic physics, based upon individually-crafted mechanics. Players will command and control a wide variety of multi-component, multi-weapon vehicles, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, APCs, attack and utility helicopters. The character damage system authentically depicts the terrible wounds and injury from modern weapons to communicate the reality of combat.

Platoon-Based Combat - As an epic campaign weaves the narrative, players will fight as infantry soldiers in battle, drive tanks in armored assaults, pilot helicopters in air strikes, and infiltrate the enemy in covert special operations utilizing a wide variety of realistic military weapons from knives and rifles to machine guns, grenade launchers and laser designators for air strikes. In whichever role the player chooses, they will experience the fierce and brutal reality of warfare and the shock and awe of contemporary firepower unleashed on the arresting scale of modern combat.

Redefines the Size of Battle - Immense play areas of more than 135 square miles give players a multitude of tactical decisions on how to best accomplish missions. Densely packed with environment detail and objects, valleys, mountains, coastlines, towns, villages and industrial complexes all combine to deliver a rich and challenging tactical environment. The world is persistent, so that buildings destroyed in one campaign mission will be destroyed in the next.

Stylised Cinematography - Operation Flashpoint 2 will model the environment, objects and people in realistic detail, but its visual styling will embrace documentary techniques. The camera work through cut-scenes will be heavily influenced by television war reports that are often shot under extreme circumstances delivering a unique look with incorrect exposure, severe camera shake and loss of focus.

DEVELOPER: Codemasters Studios
PUBLISHER: Codemasters
RELEASE DATE: 2009
PLATFORM: Major console platforms & PC
WEB: www.flashpoint2-game.com

FACT SHEET

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
A deadly symbiote invasion brings total devastation to the streets of New York City in the next Spider-Man™: Web of Shadows, where players have ultimate control over the city’s salvation and Spider-Man’s destiny. Set in an apocalyptic New York City, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows gives players an unprecedented level of gameplay choices, including, for the first time, control over the game’s direction and outcome. The all new combat system allows for truly three dimensional battles that start in the streets, continue up sides of buildings and finish on rooftops. Gamers can instantly switch between the agile red suit and formidable black suit, choose to ally with Marvel’s honored heroes or ferocious villains, pick which of Spider-Man’s abilities to upgrade, and decide which missions to undertake in order to protect Manhattan from certain destruction.

KEY FEATURES:

• Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man – A fusion of web-slinging and powerful combat moves combine to create an unbeatable, all-new fighting system that intuitively blends Spider-Man’s speed and strength with the environment for deadly new attacks and combos. Players can crush an enemy through the momentum of swinging from a flagpole, fight hordes of symbiotes with wall-crawling abilities, or rapidly attack an entire mob in quick succession with the spin of a web. And for the first time in a Spider-Man game, gamers can take the fight vertically and combat foes on city walls, where Spider-Man has the advantage.
• Anything Goes – At a moment’s notice, players can harness the grace, agility and acrobatics of Spider-Man Red Suit, or leverage the brute, savage power of the Black Suit. For the first time in a Spider-Man game, gamers can switch suits at any time to create devastating never-before-seen combos and finishing moves. Players must decide if saving New York means siding with Marvel’s most honored heroes or its most dangerous villains, as they control how to fight, what abilities to upgrade and with whom to ally.
• The City That Never Sleeps – Teeming with life, the Big Apple is more alive than ever before in the Spider-Man series. Citizens will either cheer Spider-Man on or run away in fear, depending on gamers’ actions and decisions. Players control whether Spider-Man acts the hero or the vigilante in his quest to save the city, both in turn affecting the course and struggle against the symbiote invasion.
• Battlefield: Next-Gen Apocalypse – Increased city interactivity and destructibility allow the player to pick up and use anything in their way as a weapon, destroy store fronts, demolish vehicles, and virtually obliterate city streets with powerful attacks. Next-generation technology brings New York to life with realistic textures and animations, as well as an all-new context-sensitive camera system allowing the player to take on enemies and change directions faster than ever before, while adding a new dimension of intelligence and polish to Spider-Man’s actions in the air and on the ground.
• Who’s With Me? – With some of the greatest heroes and most notorious villains in the Marvel Universe, including staples such as Luke Cage and Vulture, players’ choices control who will ultimately aid them in the fight to rid New York of the alien symbiote. These choices have consequences, as behaving like a hero or like a vigilante will ultimately lead to separate destinies.
• Extra Credit – As gamers progress, they earn experience in multiple combat disciplines to allow them to custom-design their ideal Spider-Man. Whether players prefer web-slinging to melee fighting, or battling in the Red Suit versus the Black Suit, points are generated that can be used to upgrade the move they like best.

* Instant Replay – With dozens of story choices and character customization options, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows provides a fresh and exciting gaming experience every time it’s played.

Publisher: Activision, Inc.

Developer: Shaba / Treyarch (Xbox 360, PS3)
Treyarch (Wii – NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)
Amaze (PS2, PSP, NDS – NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)
Apsire (PC)

Release Date: Fall 2008

SRP: $59.99 (Xbox 360, PS3)
$49.99 (Wii, PSP)
$39.99 (PC, PS2)
$29.99 (NDS)

ESRB Ratings: “T” for Teen for Animated Blood, Mild Language, Violence (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, PSP)

“E10+” for Everyone 10 and older for Cartoon Violence (NDS)

FACT SHEET FOR ALL VERSIONS

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
James Bond is back to settle the score in the Quantum of Solace™ game. Introducing a more lethal and cunningly efficient Bond, the game blends intense first-person action with a unique third-person cover combat system that allows players to truly feel what it is like to be the ultimate secret agent as they use their stealth, precision shooting and lethal combat skills to progress through missions. Seamlessly blending the heart-pounding action and excitement of the upcoming “Quantum of Solace” feature film with the “Casino Royale” movie, the title propels players into the cinematic experience of international espionage. Based on the renowned Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ game engine that has been specifically engineered to immerse players in the Bond universe, the Quantum of Solace game delivers superior high-definition graphics, reactive AI and visually stunning locations inspired by locales portrayed in the films.

KEY FEATURES:

• Be the New Bond – The Quantum of Solace game marks the first time players can become the dangerous and cunning Bond as portrayed by Daniel Craig in “Quantum of Solace” and “Casino Royale.”

• Combat Variety – From silent take downs and sneaking through confined spaces, to one-on-one shoot outs and large scale battles, players experience a variety of gameplay that challenges them to think through situations and choose how they progress, whether it’s through covert means or confronting enemies in full force.

• Advanced combat and Realistic AI – Players engage in both first-person and third-person gameplay that allows gamers to be Bond in unscripted battles against the world’s most evil villains and mercenaries.

• Cinematic Appeal – Filled with armed combat, massive explosions and vertigo-inducing chases, gamers are immersed in an authentic Bond universe and drawn into epic movie moments with theatrical camera angles, split screen effects, picture-in-picture sequences, and amazing environments inspired by real world locations such as Montenegro, Venice, Bolivia and Austria.

• Unparalleled Bond Multiplayer Experience – Bringing James Bond to next-gen consoles for the first time, gamers now have the ability to battle online in a variety of modes.

Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Developer: Treyarch (Xbox 360 and PS3)
Beenox (Wii and PC - NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)
Eurocom (PS2 - NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)
Vicarious Visions (DS - NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)

Release Date: Fall 2008
Platforms:  Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft
 PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system
 PlayStation2 computer entertainment system
 Nintendo Wii ™
 Games for Windows ™
 Nintendo DS™
Suggested Retail Price: TBD
ESRB Rating: TBD

Bring the gift of Witches home this holiday season!

IRVINE, Calif. - July 15, 2008 Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced Luminous Arc™2 for Nintendo DS™. This epic strategy RPG is loaded to the brim with content, including a wealth of new characters (and the return of a few favorites), beautiful hand drawn graphics, a stunning score from famed composer Yasunori Mitsuda‘s Procyon Studio, local and online multiplayer support, multiple endings, a redesigned user interface, and tons of other new features. More engaging, more challenging, more attractive, and more satisfying, Luminous Arc 2 is the definitive strategy RPG for Nintendo DS owners this holiday season.

Deluxe Release

Every copy of Luminous Arc 2 will be bundled with a soundtrack CD featuring selected music from the game in a special oversized box, a rarity for Nintendo DS titles.

Luminous Arc 2 is currently scheduled for release on November 18, 2008 with an MSRP of $39.99.

Visit the official Luminous Arc 2 website: http://www.atlus.com/luminousarc2

About Luminous Arc 2
For most of the past four millennia, peace has reigned over the Kingdom of Carnava. “The Grand Kingdom” has flourished due to its close cooperation with the Witches of the Rev Magic Association and the ever-present usage of magic.
Unfortunately, the era of peace has come to an end. Fatima, the Shadow Frost Witch, broke from the Magic Association and has taken over Granend, the Forbidden Land, with the use of magic. This infighting, dubbed the “Witch Conflict,” has pushed Carnava to the brink of chaos. When the young squire Roland gains magnificent powers due to a chance encounter, Sophia, the Queen of Carnava, calls upon him to bring about an end to the discord.

Key Features
• 30 chapters, 30+ hours of gameplay — The newest installment of the Luminous Arc story features new and returning characters, gorgeous visuals, multiple endings, and even more challenging strategy gameplay.
• Brand new content and enhancements — Sporting a more refined interface, rebalanced strategy features, responsive touch controls, and many more improvements, Luminous Arc 2 provides a gaming experience that builds upon the success of the original in every way.
• “Engagement” system — Connect with your Witch allies by Engaging with them to boost Roland’s stats and give him access to powerful combat skills.
• Take the battle online — Pit your strategic mettle over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection against strategy fans all across North America.

Luminous Arc 2 has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

FACT SHEET FOR ALL VERSIONS

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Building on the Call of Duty 4 engine, Call of Duty: World at War thrusts players into the ruthless and gritty chaos of WWII combat like never been before, and challenges them to band together to survive the most harrowing and climactic battles of WWII that led to the demise of the Axis powers on the European and South Pacific fronts. The title re-defines WWII games by offering an uncensored experience with unique enemies and combat variety, including Kamikaze fighters, ambush attacks, Banzai charges and cunning cover tactics, as well as explosive on-screen action through all new cooperative gameplay.

KEY FEATURES:

• Call of Duty 4 Technology – Built using the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War utilizes a bedrock of technology that delivers jaw-dropping visuals, while empowering players to employ elements like fire to affect the dynamics of the battlefield. Players that attempt to harness the power of new weapons, like the flamethrower, will find themselves capable of burning away environmental elements that give cover to a camouflaged enemy, leaving a charred battlefield – and their foes – in their wake.

• Coordinated Assault and Support – For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra. Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The title also incorporates traditional multiplayer components such as challenges, rankings and online stats into the co-op campaign for deeper re-playability and advanced gameplay..

• New Theaters of Operation – Players fight as U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers facing enemies – some new to the Call of Duty franchise – that employ lethal new tactics and know no fear, no mercy, nor the rules of war. Epic conflicts are fought on multiple fronts, playing through the climactic battles of WWII in the grittiest, most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date.

• Innovative Multiplayer – Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty delivering a persistent online experience for more squad based interaction. New development with party systems allows an intimacy with squad based combat never before seen in Call of Duty. Combined infantry and vehicle missions add a new dimension to the online warfare and offers more PERK abilities.

• Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound – Treyarch’s award-winning sound department returns with effects that add to the already immersive cinematic intensity of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine.

Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Developer: Treyarch
Release Date: Fall 2008
Platforms:  Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft
 PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system
 Windows® PC and Games for Windows®
 Nintendo® Wii™
 Nintendo DS™
 PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system
Suggested Retail Price: TBD
ESRB Rating: TBD