Ubisoft to Publish Shadowbane In Europe

Paris, France – December 18, 2003 – Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announces the acquisition of the rights to distribute Shadowbane® all over Europe. This new plan helps strengthen its position on the massively multi-player online (MMO) gaming market. The highly anticipated Shadowbane Gold edition is expected to launch commercially in Europe on both Mac and PC in January 2004. The Shadowbane Gold edition will include the original Shadowbane game and the new expansion, "The Rise of Chaos".

Already released in North America last March, IGN.com said, "Shadowbane can spice things up and reintroduce the kinds of gameplay and involvement into the genre that it so readily promises". The site also rated Shadowbane as one of their most anticipated MMOs of 2003!

Ubisoft will continue to use its already renowned marketing and distribution network to distribute the boxed version of the game, while its online division will continue to host the intricate worlds of Shadowbane for both European and North American players combined.

ubi.com the online division of Ubisoft will handle all back-end support for the game including network and server infrastructure, billing, customer service and in-game support. The European release will also coincide with the launch of several new Shadowbane server worlds including the highly anticipated ice world of Vorringia which features new monsters, adventure areas, and Viking-based architecture.

Set in a dark fantasy world burning with strife and unrest, Shadowbane is the first persistent world massively multiplayer online game to combine the fantasy role-playing and real-time strategy genres. It is the first such product to embrace a dynamic world design model, in which players can physically affect the history, politics and landscape of the game itself. In Shadowbane, you can build castles, raise armies, and lay siege to vast areas of virtual terrain. These kingdoms remain, even as players come and go - the game continues evolving over time. Shadowbane takes the MMO genre to new heights by offering gamers an unparalleled challenge. It combines immersive role-playing with deep strategic elements such as city management, army creation, siege warfare and economic development.

"Shadowbane is an extraordinary opportunity for us to further strengthen our online presence. The European online gaming community is ready for a new kind of experience where they will finally be able to play Shadowbane with players all across North America," said Diane Peyredieu, General Manager of ubi.com Europe.

For more information about Shadowbane visit http://www.shadowbane.com/