VIVENDI UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES NEW TITLES BASED ON J.R.R TOLKIEN'S
Posted by Ben on Wednesday, September 25 2002

LOS ANGELES (September 23, 2002) Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU
Publishing) announced today several new games as part of its Games
division's (VU Games) long-term agreement with Tolkien Enterprises to
develop interactive entertainment based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the
Rings and The Hobbit. The new titles include The Lord of the Rings:
Middle-earth Online, an Online Massively Multi-player (OLMMP) role playing
game, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring, a real time strategy (RTS)
game, and additional PC and console titles based on Tolkien's The Two Towers
and The Return of the King.

The new titles join VU Games' previously announced Tolkien line-up, which
includes The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring titles due this
fall from Black Label Games, and The Hobbit from Sierra Entertainment due
for release in 2003.

The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Online will focus on both the heroic
adventures and well-known community of Tolkien's Middle-earth.
Additionally, the OLMMP will enable gamers and Tolkien fans to experience
the fantasy of the vast The Lord of the Rings world in a growing and dynamic
environment.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring will allow the player to take on
the role of good or evil forces. Focusing on the events leading to the
formation of the Fellowship and the Ring Quest, the game will expand on the
world of Middle-earth.

All new titles based on The Lord of the Rings will be developed by VU Games'
Black Label Games studio.

"The works of J.R.R. Tolkien are beloved by generations of fans around the
world and the development of these additional titles across new platforms
underscores our commitment to the franchise," said Luc Vanhal, VU Games'
President & COO, North America. "We have engaged some of our finest creative
and technical teams to deliver a rich and diverse range of products to
gamers and true fans of the Tolkien universe."

Additional information regarding the new Tolkien titles will be released in
future months.

About Vivendi Universal Publishing
Vivendi Universal Publishing, a division of the world's second largest
communications group (Vivendi Universal), publishes content in four major
languages and has strong local brands. As the world's third largest
publisher, the Company's key content areas include literature, reference,
school, college, kids, games and consumer press. Vivendi Universal
Publishing is a global leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment.
A leading publisher of PC, console and online-based interactive content, its
portfolio of development studios includes Black Label Games, Blizzard
Entertainment, NDA Productions, Sierra Entertainment and Universal
Interactive. Through its subsidiary VU Games, it distributes worldwide its
interactive contents and co-publishes and/or distributes products for a
number of strategic partners.