June 21^st, 2005 (5:03pm) - At the ELSPA Games Summit that had been held today in London, Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, announced that Scottish games developer Real Time Worlds have signed a partnership agreement with Microsoft that will see a number of exclusive titles developed for the new Xbox 360 system that puts players at the center of the most powerful next-generation games and entertainment experiences.

Founded in March 2002, Real Time Worlds employs 75 people and is led by three game industry veterans who, between them, are responsible for some of the world’s most popular games. Real Time Worlds creative director David Jones, founder of DMA Design, was the creative director behind two of gaming’s most successful franchises, "Grand Theft Auto" and "Lemmings." Ian Hetherington, former managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, founded Psygnosis, one of the United Kingdom’s first videogames publishers. Tony Harman, former director of development and acquisition for Nintendo of America, was the executive producer of the "Donkey Kong Country" franchise.

"We’re looking forward to working with Real Time Worlds and are thrilled with what they’re going to be achieving with Xbox 360," said Moore. "The company harbors some of the most talented people in the industry, responsible for milestone games such as Grand Theft Auto, Lemmings and Donkey Kong Country. That creative history is now coming to the most powerful games platform on earth, and we can’t wait for gamers to experience what this partnership can offer."