EIDOS LAUNCHES NEW JAPANESE BRAND FOR U.S. AND EUROPE

‘FRESH GAMES’ TO BRING BREAKTHROUGH JAPANESE TITLES TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET 

LEGAIA 2: DUEL SAGA , MISTER MOSQUITO , AND MAD MAESTRO! TO BE THE FIRST GAMES PUBLISHED

San Francisco, CA (January 24, 2002) – Eidos Interactive, a leading publisher and developer of interactive entertainment, today announced a new brand specifically devoted to bringing high-quality Japanese video game titles to the worldwide market. ‘Fresh Games’ will kick-off its line-up with Mister Mosquito, Mad Maestro!, and Legaia 2: Duel Saga, sequel to the 300,000-plus unit selling Legend of Legaia. All three games were developed by SCEI for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and will be available at retail outlets in Spring 2002.

“Eidos Japan is extremely excited to bring outstanding games that have not been traditionally available to hardcore gamers in the West,” says Satoshi Honda, Managing Director of Eidos Japan. “Titles such as Mister Mosquito, Mad Maestro!, and Legaia 2 exemplify gameplay that the hardcore gamer has been craving worldwide.”

“Fresh Games is considered a boutique label, created solely to expose gamers to unique and captivating gameplay experiences that traditionally have been unavailable outside of Japan,” says Mike McGarvey, CEO of Eidos PLC. “With Mister Mosquito, Mad Maestro!, and Legaia 2, we will change people’s perceptions of what constitutes a great game.”

Mister Mosquito, originally released as “KA” in Japan, is an action title for the PlayStation2. The gamer plays the role of a mosquito, with an objective to continually torment a Japanese family every summer by sucking as much blood as possible in order to survive the cold winter. The gamer faces daily life and death battles with the Japanese family that is determined to rid themselves of the mosquito.

Mad Maestro!, originally released as “Bravo Music” in Japan, is a music/action title for the PlayStation 2. The gamer plays the role of an orchestra conductor tasked with saving the town’s Concert Hall from being destroyed by showing the city the orchestra’s great performances. Players must accurately press buttons as indicated on the game screen in a rhythmical pattern in order to pass each stage.

Legaia 2: Duel Saga is the follow-up to Legend of Legaia, a martial-arts centered, 3D role-playing game featuring an highly-original battle system. Players create attacks by linking together different styles of hits directed at their enemies. When players link together certain combinations of attacks, they form powerful, magic-based attacks.

About Eidos Interactive

Eidos Interactive, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment products for the PC, PlayStation® game console, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo®, Game Boy Color and the Xboxä video game system from Microsoft. Eidos Interactive is part of London-based Eidos plc with additional offices in San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo and Singapore. For more information on Eidos Interactive's product line visit http://www.eidos.com.

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