Press Release

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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 1999

THE BATTLE FOR THE INNER SPHERE BEGINS: KESMAI ANNOUNCES MULTIPLAYER BATTLETECH“: 3025

New Online Game Supports Over 50,000 Simultaneous Players

GEN CONŽ GAME FAIR/MILWAUKEE, WI -- Kesmai Corporation, the world leader in online games, today announced development and publishing plans for MultiPlayer BattleTech“: 3025, an online game developed with capacity to support the largest game community at more than 50,000 simultaneous players. As the much-anticipated sequel to Kesmai’s MultiPlayer BattleTech: Solaris‘, MultiPlayer BattleTech: 3025 brings a persistent, role-playing world -- the battle for the Inner Sphere -- to the BattleTech universe.

Beginning today, BattleTech fans can register exclusively for MultiPlayer BattleTech: 3025 beta testing at http://www.battletech3025.com. The game will soon be available on Kesmai’s Internet games network, GameStorm at http://www.gamestorm.com. MultiPlayer BattleTech: 3025 is based on FASA Corporation and Microsoft“‘s popular BattleTech property, which encompasses a rich universe of stories, games and characters.

“The BattleTech universe has a long, proud and tremendously successful legacy,” said Chris Holden, Kesmai’s CEO. “MultiPlayer BattleTech: 3025 is the most massive and daring exploration of the BattleTech universe to date, and is a perfect setting for the largest multiplayer game of all time.”

MultiPlayer BattleTech: 3025 is a large-scale military game that takes place in a persistent universe, where every day, the game dramatically changes and evolves. Players select their BattleMechs“ and battle on 3D, first-person battlefields for domination of one of the five great Houses to gain control of the Inner Sphere. The results of these battles determine territory won or lost for a specific House. Victorious players gain access to new, more powerful BattleMechs and rise in rank. The player’s ultimate goal is to become a House leader and win the war.

Kesmai’s MultiPlayer BattleTech: 3025 site (www.battletech3025.com) has been designed to keep game fans updated regarding game news, background information, tournaments and beta testing opportunities. ABOUT GAMESTORM GameStorm delivers the best in interactive entertainment, with the Internet's largest collection of online game titles, the most comprehensive collections of downloads, reviews, and Web content, and the Internet's finest user communities -- all in one convenient, easy-to-use package. GameStorm's titles include Air Warrior“ III, Jack Nicklaus“ Online Golf Tour, Aliens™ Online, Godzilla“ Online, Legends of Kesmai“, MultiPlayer BattleTech: Solaris™, the Discovery Channel's CatchWord™, Starship Troopers™: Battlespace, Rolemaster™: Magestorm, Darkness Falls™, Legal Crime™, Warcraft II“: Tides of Darkness, Virtual Pool™, and an outstanding collection of board and card games.

GameStorm is a registered trademark of Kesmai Corporation.

ABOUT KESMAI CORPORATION The Charlottesville, Virginia based Kesmai Corporation is the world’s premier developer, publisher and retailer of multiplayer online games. Founded in 1982 and now a unit of the News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), Kesmai develops and publishes some of the world’s most popular titles, supporting huge communities of devoted players. As the preferred game content supplier for the major Internet service providers and online services, Kesmai’s titles can be found at www.gamestorm.com, America Online (NYSE: AOL), Excite (NASDAQ: XCIT), EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK), GolfWeb, Fox World, TV Guide Entertainment Network (TVGEN) and Fujitsu (Japan). Kesmai software also is bundled with CH Products joysticks, Microsoft’s Windows 98 software and 3Com/U.S. Robotics modems.

ABOUT MICROSOFT Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

ABOUT FASA Founded by Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III, FASA Corporation has been creating successful new game worlds since 1980. The current line includes BattleTech“, Shadowrun“, the Shadowrun Trading Card‘ game, and Crimson Skies‘. FASA has successfully licensed its games for novels, computer games (MechCommander and the MechWarrior 2 series), virtual reality games, miniatures, toys, a television series, a card game and more. Additional information can be found on the World Wide Web at www.FASA.com.

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