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Contact: Brad Grier Contact: Teresa
Stevenson Contact: Lisa Bucek FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BALDUR'S GATE II:
SHADOWS OF AMN GOES GOLD! (Black Isle Studios and BioWare Prepare for an
Epic Worldwide Launch of the Year’s Most Highly Anticipated
Role-Playing Game) IRVINE,
California, September 14, 2000
– Black Isle Studios, the role-playing game division of Interplay
Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: IPLY), and BioWare Corp. announced
today that their sequel to the award winning Baldur’s Gate™
entitled Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn™ has gone gold.
The
game, based on the best-selling Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game
from Wizards of the Coast, has generated record-breaking preorders
worldwide. Baldur’s Gate
II: Shadows of Amn is scheduled to begin shipping to retail on September
26th.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is the latest chapter in
the mythic saga that continues the much-loved Baldur's Gate
storyline. The Forgotten
Realms® adventure ensues along the southern portion of the Sword Coast
in the merchant kingdom of Amn. This
region includes such diverse environments as the Elven forests of Tethyr,
the Cloudpeak Mountains, the Drow cities of the Underdark, and the
Capitol City of Amn, Athkatla. Developed
by BioWare, the same team responsible for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's
Gate II features an incredibly detailed design and story with a
highly engrossing plot showcasing immersive environments and dynamic
characters that will thrill and engage players throughout the span of
the game.
Fifteen NPC’s are available to join players in their quest,
along with hundreds of completely new creatures and access to over 130
new spells. Hundreds of new
items also add flavor to the game, including the legendary Holy Avenger
and the venerated Staff of the Magi.
Higher-level character development and the exceptionally diverse
combat proficiency system will allow for an expanded skill set including
Two Weapon Fighting and
single weapon mastery. Over 20 new kits and classes have been added to the already
extensive class list from Baldur's Gate to make Baldur's
Gate II
the most inclusive
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® 2nd edition CRPG ever created.
Baldur's
Gate II: Shadows of Amn
features an enhanced version of the BioWare Infinity Engine, supporting
resolutions of up to 800x600, giving the player superlative graphical
improvements and brilliance in a truly immersive world.
The new graphics engine also supports 3-D Accelerator Cards, however
they are not required to enjoy the richness of the Baldur’s Gate II
world. In addition, the
entire interface can be hidden to allow full screen which will allow
both novice and seasoned role players the opportunity to experience an
even richer gameplay experience. Also in production from Black Isle and BioWare is Neverwinter Nights™. Being developed by BioWare, the game will bring the pen-and-paper D&D experience to the PC by allowing players to create their own modules, host those modules on their own server and even "DM" the game. BioWare Corp. is an electronic entertainment company that produces interactive computer games, console games and video entertainment. Past projects include the genre defining role-playing game Baldur's Gate, and the critically acclaimed third person shooter, MDK2. BioWare's projects currently under development include Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and Neverwinter Nights. BioWare was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For more information, visit the BioWare website at http://www.bioware.com . Wizards
of the Coast, the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game
and tabletop role playing game categories, is a leading developer and
publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and
operator of one of the nation's largest specialty game retail chains. Producing both the Pokemon™ and world's best-selling Magic:
The Gathering® trading card games, the company holds an exclusive
patent on the play mechanic of trading card games.
Publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons &
Dragons games, family card and board games and electronic media
products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading
fantasy and science fiction book publishers.
Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has
international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing.
For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's
web site and electronic retail store at http://www.wizards.com. Black
Isle Studios is a division of Interplay Entertainment Corp., a
leading developer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment software for both core gamers and the mass market.
Interplay currently balances its development efforts by
publishing for personal computers as well as current and next generation
video game consoles. Interplay releases products through Interplay,
Shiny Entertainment, Digital Mayhem, Black Isle Studios, 14°
East, is distribution partners and its wholly owned subsidiary Interplay
OEM, Inc. More
comprehensive information on Interplay and its products is available
through its worldwide web site at http://www.interplay.com.
For investor relations’ inquiries, please contact J. Scott
Liolios (scott@liolios.com mailto:scott@liolios.com)
or Christopher Rosgen (chris@liolios.com
mailto:chris@liolios.com) at Liolios Group, Inc. (949)
574-3870. Safe
Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995: This
release may contain forward-looking statements involving risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual future events or results to differ
materially and adversely from those described in the forward-looking
statements. Important factors that may cause such a difference for
Interplay include, but are not limited to, risks of delays in
development and introduction of new products, dependence on new product
introductions which achieve significant market acceptance and the
uncertainties of consumer preferences, dependence on third party
software developers for a significant portion of new products, risks of
rapid technological change and platform change, intense competition,
seasonality, risks of product defects, dependence upon licenses from
third parties, risks associated with future capital requirements,
dependence upon third party distribution, dependence upon key personnel
and risks associated with international business, intellectual property
disputes and other factors discussed in the Company's filings from time
to time with the Securities Exchange Commission, including but not
limited the Company's annual report on Form 10K for the year ended
December 31, 1999. Interplay
disclaims any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking
statement that may be made from time to time by it or on its behalf. #
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For BioWare Information:
Brad Grier
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For
Black Isle/Interplay Information:
Lisa Bucek |
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WWW.BIOWARE.COM
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