EIDSY Eidos Plc Adr (MM)

Eidos Passes Sentence and You're Facing '25 to Life' The Essence of Urban Lifestyle Comes Straight From the Streets and Into Living Rooms Everywhere in This Online Action Shooter SAN FRANCISCO, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eidos , one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, in coordination with Highway 1 Productions, Inc. (Hwy 1), takes an unrelenting look at urban street crime in its upcoming video game 25 To Life. An urban, third person action game, 25 To Life is currently in development by Avalanche Software and will be available for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft in the Spring of 2005 worldwide. "25 To Life integrates the essence of cops and robbers with the attitude and lifestyle of street culture," says Kevin Gill, global brand manager at Eidos. "The open, urban environments, high-stakes multiplayer gameplay, and in-depth hip-hop soundtrack bring the streets to the online space for the first time...25 To Life IS the streets!" Set in the heart of today's cities, 25 To Life places gamers in the gritty reality of both police task forces and hardcore street gangsters. Fighting your way up the ranks is the only way to survive on the streets. Nailing perps will get you promoted. Gamers are offered a myriad of choices along the way like busting out of prison or infiltrating the inner sanctum of a drug lord's mansion. Either way, street knowledge will be put to the test as gamers must establish and defend their turf or uphold the law. 25 To Life delivers intense online multiplayer gameplay for up to 16 players, as well as a rich and compelling single player experience. Complete USB Headset support lets players conspire with gamers from around the world. The highly interactive urban environments deliver a superior and realistic street life experience. Car alarms, motion sensors, terrified pedestrians, and even barking dogs are just a few of the real world elements that may give one's position away. "So far the game looks fantastic. We've worked hard with the talented team at Avalanche to bring the authenticity of popular culture to online console gamers," said John Miller, President of Hwy 1 Productions. "Avalanche is excited to be working with such talented partners in developing this game," said John Blackburn of Avalanche Software. "The contributions of Eidos, Highway 1, and Quazal have all been critical in the creation of the vision and realization of 25 to Life." Eidos has partnered with Quazal to incorporate online play into 25 To Life. Quazal's Net-Z engine provides a powerful and flexible object-based solution to networking that goes beyond traditional messaging approaches. The flexible topology combines the best of the client-server and peer-to-peer concepts, allowing for a smooth online experience in a variety of network conditions. "25 To Life represents an awesome new property for Eidos, and it's a great opportunity for us to really show off our networking technology," said Mike Drummelsmith, developer relations manager at Quazal. "Eidos, Avalanche, and Highway 1 are gunning to bring out a great playing online game, and we can't wait to see the reaction at this year's E3." 25 To Life's fully customisable character system gives gamers the freedom to define their character's look and style. The player's status and online rankings increase by earning gear and outfitting themselves with the latest threads from today's hottest street-wear. The robust weapons arsenal includes both lethal and non-lethal ways to take down opponents. Depending on the side of the law gamers choose to play on, access will be given to either the proper police weaponry or illicit street weapons. Additionally, 25 To Life will offer a cutting edge hip-hop soundtrack featuring undeniable rap classics as well as the best of current and breaking artists. About Eidos Eidos plc is one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software with a diverse mix of titles for the PC, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft. For more information on Eidos and its products visit http://www.eidos.com/. About Hwy 1 Productions, Inc. Hwy 1 Productions, Inc. is the interactive entertainment industry's premier independent production company, specializing in design and management of high-quality video game titles for publishers in the console and online gaming market. More information on Hwy 1 Productions can be found at http://www.hwy1productions.com/. About Quazal Quazal is the leading supplier of multiplayer middleware with a community of over 150 network programmers using its products to propel the next generation of multiplayer games. Quazal's products are currently available for PlayStation(R) 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(R) game console from Microsoft, Windows(R), Pocket PC, and Linux. For more information and demonstrations visit http://www.quazal.com/. About Avalanche Software, LC Avalanche Software, LC is one of the world's leading independent video game developers specializing in creating games for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft. For more information, visit http://www.avalanchesoftware.com/. NOTE: "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and /or other countries. Quazal and Net-Z are trademarks of Quazal. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. DATASOURCE: Eidos plc CONTACT: Michelle Seebach Curran, or Kjell Vistad, or Denny Chiu, or Loretta Stevens, all of Eidos Inc. North America, +1-415-547-1200, or Web site: http://www.avalanchesoftware.com/ Web site: http://www.quazal.com/ Web site: http://www.hwy1productions.com/ Web site: http://www.eidos.com/

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