March 25^th, 2003 (12:00am) - Vivendi Universal Games and Interplay Entertainment Corp. has announced the development of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II, the sequel to the award-winning hit Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. This unique action/role-playing game is being developed by Interplay’s Black Isle Studios, known for their high quality role-playing games, and will be released for the PlayStation 2 and the Microsoft Xbox

Set in the Forgotten Realms world, the most popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II will use the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules set. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II will feature more monsters, graphically stunning environments and five new and unique customizable player characters to choose from, hidden areas to explore, as well as a new item creation system that will allow players to create their own ultimate magical artifacts. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II is scheduled to be available at retail for holiday 2003.

"The move to develop for the console systems with Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance allowed the team to bring new adventure and life into the series and enhance the franchise," states Feargus Urquhart, president of Black Isle Studios.

Darkness gathers yet again in the sprawling port city of Baldur’s Gate and the city’s most recent saviors vanished along with the Onyx Tower, foul bastion of Eldrith the Betrayer. In heroic tradition, adventurers throughout the Western Heartlands make the journey to Baldur’s Gate to meet their great and unknown fate. The threat of Eldrith has been eliminated, yet sinister, enigmatic forces still rally against the city. There are many intrigues to unravel, enemies to butcher, and characters to meet - both old and new - before Baldur’s Gate is saved from a fate far worse than utter destruction.

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2001, Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube in 2002 and has sold over one million units worldwide across all three platforms. In the fall of 2002 it became a Greatest Hits title for the PlayStation 2. For more information on Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II visit the website at bgda2.blackisle.com .