May 17^th, 2002 (12:00am) - May 17, 2002 - Black Isle Studios, the award-winning RPG (roleplaying game) division of Interplay Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ:IPLY), and leading console game developer Snowblind Studios announced today their plan to bring the Baldur’s Gate(tm): Dark Alliance(tm) franchise to the Xbox(tm) video game system from Microsoft.

"We recognize the tremendous demand for a game like Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance on Xbox and don’t want Xbox gamers to miss out on this thrilling gaming experience," stated Feargus Urquhart, President of Black Isle Studios.

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance features a distinctive blend of action and adventure set in the most popular Dungeons & Dragons(r) campaign setting: The FORGOTTEN REALMS(r) franchise owned by Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc., and licensed to Infogrames Interactive. Faithful adaptation of the new Dungeons & Dragons rules set, customizable player characters and character development allow for an engrossing gameplay experience new to Xbox gamers. Dramatic spell effects and powerful abilities add to the flavor of this action-packed game and assist the player in combat against many terrifying monsters found in the adventure.

"We are extremely excited about bringing Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance to Xbox," stated Ryan Geithman, Director of Snowblind Studios. "So far, we have yet to see this type of action-RPG game on Xbox. We believe Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance will be a unique asset to the system."

Played from a third person perspective, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance immerses players in the port town of Baldur’s Gate. Darkness has fallen upon the town and rumors of a Thieves’ Guild civil war brew beneath the streets of the city. Entering this desperate situation, the player finds himself fresh to the city of Baldur’s Gate and new to the world of adventuring. He soon learns that he stands in the way of one of the greatest threats ever to strike the town of Baldur’s Gate and the entire region of The Sword Coast.

Black Isle Studios, the creators of the Fallout(tm) series, Planescape(r): Torment(tm) and the Icewind Dale(tm) saga, is proud to bring Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance to Xbox. More information on Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance for Xbox can be found at http://www.blackisle.com.

Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) and 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(tm) and world’s best-selling Magic: The Gathering(r) 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, Beijing and Sydney. 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, its 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.