Next-Generation Console Presence to Feature Award-Winning Games

Bellevue, WA (May 15, 2001) - Sierra On-Line announced today a varied and exciting lineup of titles to be showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, South Hall booth #1100 from May 17th - 19th. Sierra will present a slate of ten groundbreaking titles on the show floor and one game behind closed doors.

The lineup includes both PC and next-generation console games. PC games include, Empire Earth(tm), Arcanum(tm), Throne of Darkness(tm), Half-Life(r): Blue Shift as well as games that fall under the recently-announced worldwide co-publishing agreement with Fox Interactive, Aliens vs. Predator(tm) 2, and Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza(tm). Next-generation console gamers will be treated to such award-winning franchises as Half-Life(r), Tribes(tm) and No One Lives Forever(tm) soon-to-be released on PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system. On the Xbox(tm) video game system, Microsoft's future-generation video game console will be Jonny Drama(tm), a completely original title developed exclusively for the platform. Finally, the newly announced game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's worldwide best-selling novel The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, will make its debut on the Xbox behind closed doors.

"Our 2001 E3 line-up, more than ever before, reflects how we are continuing to raise the bar for cutting-edge action, role-playing and strategy games," commented Barbara Schwabe, vice-president of marketing for Sierra. "We've worked very hard to set the stage with our strategic move into the console arena and we're very pleased with the caliber of games we're bringing to next-generation gamers everywhere."

SIERRA'S E3 TITLE LINEUP:

ALIENS VS. PREDATOR 2: This is the PC sequel to the most terrifying PC game of 1999. Based on the combination of the most highly successful sci-fi franchises in movie history, AVP 2 takes players to a world where species battle species in the ultimate game of survival. Aliens vs. Predator 2 is being developed by Monolith Productions on the PC.

ARCANUM: OF STEAMWORKS AND MAGICK OBSCURA: Arcanum(tm): Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is a new PC role-playing game from Troika Games, founded by key members from the development team behind the award-winning role-playing game, Fallout(r)*. Named for the world it is set in, Arcanum opens in an age where magic and technology coexist in uneasy balance. An industrial revolution has swept across the fantasy realm of Arcanum, and players must choose their path - magic or technology - in their quest across the massive world.

DIE HARD: NAKATOMI PLAZA: Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza combines all the exciting elements of the original Die Hard movie in an action/adventure game set in the 3D environment of Nakatomi Plaza. With 40 floors of new office space under construction, John McClane must navigate his way through terrorists, civilians and hostages to save himself and his wife from the terrorists who have this high rise of horror under siege. It is being developed by Pirhana Games for the PC.

EMPIRE EARTH: Empire Earth is the debut title from Stainless Steel Studios, but not the first for company founder Rick Goodman, who was lead designer for the best-selling and critically acclaimed strategy game Age of Empires(r). In Empire Earth, gamers attempt to dominate the Earth in land, sea, and air battles, while advancing their civilizations through over 500,000 years of "history," from the Paleolithic age to the 24th century. Empire Earth lets gamers carry out a night attack with a column of Patton's tanks, command French Grenadiers in the Napoleonic Wars, send Alexander the Great and an army of phalanxes to raze a troublesome city-state, and much, much more.

FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: In development by Seattle-based WXP, Inc., The Fellowship of the Ring will be released in early 2002 for the Xbox video game system. The Fellowship of the Ring is a third-person action/adventure game set in the world of Middle-Earth. In the game, players take the persona of Frodo Baggins, an unassuming hobbit who has been unwittingly thrust into a battle between good and evil. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have set the standard for fantasy writers and creators of epic worlds. The novels are massive best sellers, having sold close to 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into 26 different languages.

HALF-LIFE: BLUE SHIFT: Blue Shift is an all-new single player episode surrounding the Black Mesa security guard introduced in Valve's classic action thriller, Half-Life. In development on PC by Gearbox Software, creators of the critically acclaimed Half-Life: Opposing Force(tm), Blue Shift also contains the Half-Life HD Pack, which automatically upgrades the weapons and characters of all the games in the Half-Life saga with new high definition content.

HALF-LIFE PLAYSTATION 2: The best first-person shooter of all time comes to the PlayStation 2. Half-Life combines great storytelling with intense action and advanced technology to create the greatest action experience of all time. Originally created for the PC by Valve, this legendary 3D action thriller is coming to PlayStation 2, developed by Gearbox Software. This time around, gamers will get Half-Life's classic Deathmatch for 2-4 players and an exclusive, brand new cooperative campaign, Half-Life: Decay, to take on solo or with a friend.

JONNY DRAMA: As Jonny Drama, movie star turned secret agent, players must stop the evil Dr. Bumbershoot from executing his sinister plan to destroy the world. In true secret agent fashion, Jonny must use his arsenal of spy gadgets, disguises and vehicles to defeat his arch nemesis and discover the truth about his own forgotten past. Featuring a patent pending real-time animation engine and proven gameplay features, Jonny Drama is sure to be a hit with Xbox gamers of all ages.

NO ONE LIVES FOREVER: In development on PlayStation 2, this game will feature four new prequel levels highlighting beautiful Agent Cate Archer in her younger days as a thief. Recently, the PC game was honored as PC Game of the Year and PC Action Game of the Year. No One Lives Forever is being developed by Monolith Productions and will debut on PlayStation 2 this year.

THRONE OF DARKNESS: Japanese mythology and fast-paced multiplayer mayhem combine to make Throne of Darkness(tm) a must-have title for action-oriented role-playing fans. This inaugural game from Click Entertainment, a group of 24 veteran game designers, takes the action/RPG model pioneered by Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo(r) game into a new direction with a unique storyline and ground-breaking multiplayer capability.

TRIBES PLAYSTATION 2: In development by Inevitable Entertainment, the highly anticipated Tribes 2(tm) PC game, sequel to the 1999 Online Game of the Year, is coming to the PlayStation 2. Unlike other shooters, Tribes for the PlayStation 2 brings true team multiplayer action to the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the first time, and delivers a 3D action experience that makes traditional action gaming seem stale and flat. Gamers will indulge in some of the most exciting gameplay available today, from firing up jetpacks to go vertical, engaging in aerial combat, jetting over massive canyons and daunting mountain ranges to deliver mayhem from above.

ABOUT FOX INTERACTIVE Recognized as an innovative industry leader, Fox Interactive, an operating unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a News Corporation company, is committed to producing a full range of bold and engaging interactive entertainment. The company produces and co-publishes computer and video game software based on Fox franchises as well as new and original properties. Fox Interactive games feature a number of the company's television and movie properties including The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Die Hard, and The X-Files. Original properties such as No One Lives Forever have garnered critical acclaim and received Game of the Year awards from enthusiasts' magazines worldwide.

ABOUT SIERRA Sierra On-Line, Inc. http://www.sierra.com, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal Publishing and part of the Vivendi Universal Games division, is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is renowned for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles that represent a wide variety of computer entertainment on both next generation console and PC platforms.

ABOUT VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES Vivendi Universal Games (VUG) is a division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, a world leader in mass-market multimedia communications. A leading publisher of online, PC and console-based interactive content, VUG's portfolio of entertainment software brands includes Blizzard Entertainment(r), Flipside.com(tm), Sierra(tm) and Universal Interactive Studios. Games are one of parent company Vivendi Universal's key content areas, along with movies, music and other publishing activities. Vivendi Universal aims to be the world's preferred creator and provider of personalized information, entertainment and services to consumers everywhere, and across all distribution platforms.