Cryptic Studios Beefs Up City of Villains Storyline, RPG Elements with New Hires

Highly Anticipated Game Adds Top Talent, Dave “Zeb” Cook and Shane Hensley

Austin, TEXAS, August 23, 2004—NCsoft® Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games and Cryptic StudiosTM announced the addition of two new members to the City of VillainsTM development team, a sequel to the critically acclaimed and best selling online game, City of HeroesTM. Dave “Zeb” Cook has been named senior designer and Shane Hensley will serve as senior writer on the City of Villains team.

Cook has 25 years of experience designing games, including 15 years working with TSR Inc., a leading innovator of role-playing games. He has numerous novels and role-playing games to his credit, and is best known for designing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Dungeon Master’s Handbook and the pen-and-paper game Planetscape. Cook is a 2003 inductee of the Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame.

Hensley, best know for creating the RPG game Deadlands, will join the City of Villains team after an exemplary career writing computer games, board games, game guides and novels. He founded Pinnacle Entertainment Group, a company specializing in role-playing games. Hensley has also provided his writing talents to companies such as TSR, West End Games, SSI, FASA and had his novels published by Harper Collins and White Wolf Studios.

“The addition of Dave and Shane to the City of Villains team is quite a coup,” said Michael Lewis, CEO of Cryptic Studios. “We want City of Villains to draw players into their roles, and so we brought in Dave, a pioneer in the role-playing game market. Shane will add substantial storylines and narratives for City of Villains. Together, they will help City of Villains maintain the high standard that fans of City of Heroes have come to expect.”

City of Villains is projected for release in 2005.