2K Games Announces Sid Meier's Pirates! for Xbox; Now Available in North American Retail Stores

July 13, 2005 7:55 AM ET

NEW YORK, Jul 13, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and FIRAXIS Games, world renowned video game developer, today announced that Sid Meier's Pirates! for the Xbox(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft is currently available in stores across North America, with the European release scheduled for the end of the month. Some of the many new additions for the Xbox version of this top selling PC title include two new Xbox-exclusive mini-games, Xbox Live leaderboards and content downloads, and support for HDTV resolutions and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

"With its broad appeal, open-ended gameplay and ability to captivate players for hours on end, Pirates! is a prime example of the quality of gameplay FIRAXIS creates," said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director of 2K Games. "Pirates! for the Xbox is just the first of many anticipated titles to come from the newly formed and highly valued 2K Games and FIRAXIS Games relationship."

"FIRAXIS Games is thrilled to release our first Xbox title in collaboration with 2K Games," said Jeff Briggs, Founder, President and CEO of FIRAXIS Games. "With new Xbox exclusive features, Pirates! really takes advantage of the power of Microsoft's great gaming platform."

In Sid Meier's Pirates!, players take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean - amassing fortune and fame in an attempt to seize a rightful place as one of the most revered and feared pirates in history. Players test their skills as a sea captain exploring the dangerous waters and exotic ports in a richly detailed 3-D world.

Here's what the press is saying about Sid Meier's Pirates!:

"Sid Meier's Pirates! is a must-have Xbox game. It's that simple." - IGN - 9.2/10 - Editors' Choice Award

"Sid Meier's Pirates! packs more adventure in just 30 minutes than most games do in their entirety." - GameSpot

"Sid Meier's Pirates! is a testament to the days when computing power forced game designers to creatively think how they could impress the players, instead of relying on polygon counts and a full orchestra." - TeamXbox.com

Sid Meier's Pirates! for Xbox is rated T for teen. For more information please visit www.sidmeierspirates.com.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an integrated global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games and accessories for the PC, PlayStation(R) game console, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system, the Xbox(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube(TM), Nintendo DS(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games, 2K Sports and Global Star Software; and distributes products in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two also manufactures and markets video game accessories in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region through its Joytech subsidiary. The Company maintains sales and marketing offices in Cincinnati, New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Munich, Madrid, Vienna, Milan, Sydney, Breda (Netherlands) and Auckland. Take-Two's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

Firaxis Games

Founded in 1996 by veteran gaming executive Jeff Briggs, is one of the world's premier independent game development studios, and home of legendary designer Sid Meier. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, FIRAXIS has created some

Page 1/2 of the most successful and award-winning PC games on the market. The company's most recent hit titles include: Sid Meier's Pirates! (PC), the blockbuster Sid Meier's Civilization III series, and Sid Meier's SimGolf. Firaxis has a rich history of great games including: Sid Meier's Gettysburg!, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire and Sid Meier's Antietam!. For more information on Firaxis Games visit www.firaxis.com or contact Kelley Gilmore at [email protected].

Sid Meier's Pirates! is a registered trademark of Firaxis Games.

Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

PSP and "UMD" are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward-looking statements made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them. The Company has no obligation to update such forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary significantly from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of factors. These important factors are described in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2005 in the section entitled "Cautionary Statement and Risk Factors".

SOURCE: Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

2K Games Matt Schlosberg, 646-723-4206 [email protected] or Jason Bergman, 646-723-4203 [email protected] or Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Jim Ankner, 646-536-3006 [email protected]

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