WWIIOL11


	WWIIOL A History In The Making "Article" __________________________________________________ Playnet Inc. Selects Strategy First As Retail Publisher For World War II Online(TM) BEDFORD, TX -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 11/21/2000 -- Playnet Inc. and its in-house development studio, Cornered Rat Software, signed an agreement with Strategy First Inc. to publish the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game World War II Online (WWIIOL.) Strategy First will handle the release through retail channels in North America and selected regions of Europe and Asia. The agreement establishes a working collaboration between the two companies that goes beyond the usual developer/publisher arrangements considered typical of the CD-ROM publishing business. Both companies are committed to fostering online communities, and will join together in supporting customers after the sale. Playnet and Strategy First are pushing the envelope of business models used for the online games market in that they are jointly pursuing retail publishing and distribution deals with a number of prominent overseas companies to meet the goal of a simultaneous worldwide retail launch, including the entire Pan European Territory (UK, Europe and Scandinavia) and the Pacific Rim. The agreement calls for Strategy First to handle retail publishing of WWIIOL for the US, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, all US Territories and US Military Installations, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand. WWIIOL is scheduled for retail release 2nd quarter of 2001. "Strategy First couldn't be more excited about this partnership," says Steve Wall, V.P. of Marketing/ Business Development. "The scope of World War II Online is truly massive, not to mention impressive. This game will set a new standard and we are excited to be a part of it." Playnet’s President and CEO Jim Mesteller said, “We were very careful in sorting through possible publishers for our first premium gaming title. After meeting and working with the team from Strategy First, our decision was easy. This is a good fit. In terms of our need to reach a wide audience, the extra visibility from retail channel exposure…by having our game on the shelves of software stores across the country and around the world…will bring us a much larger audience than would be possible by only distributing the game online. Unlike many games, the world we're building works better with lots of people in it.” World War II Online is a massively multi-player online game (MMOG) designed and developed by Cornered Rat Software (CRS), a division of Playnet, Inc. The core management and creative personnel at CRS came from an earlier award-winning venture known throughout the games industry for their role in creating Internet-based massively multi-player online games in 1995. The experience of the CRS crew will help assure reliable, low latency gameplay for thousands of simultaneous PC and Macintosh users on game servers operated by Playnet’s online publishing and game service available exclusively at www.playnet.com. CRS plans to also offer a Linux version of WWIIOL. For the first time, the best elements of several game genres (including FPS, RPG, simulations and Strategy,) have been combined to produce online entertainment. About Playnet Inc. Playnet, Inc is an Internet technologies company that specializes in design and development of massively multi-player online games (MMOG) at its in-house software development studio, Cornered Rat Software (CRS); and through its Playnet.com division operates an independent Internet-based publishing center and interactive entertainment destination website, www.playnet.com that offers dynamic and customizable global delivery of a channelized line up of e-content, games, and advertising products through its own web sites and dozens of affiliated game and content sites. Established in April of 1999 and located in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area of Texas, Playnet is developing World War II Online(TM) as its flagship MMOG title by utilizing its own Unity 3D engine, proprietary game systems, and network technologies. With these revolutionary tools, Playnet is redefining the design and delivery of online entertainment. About Strategy First Strategy First Inc. (www.strategyfirst.com) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of entertainment software. Established in 1991 and headquartered in historic “Old Montreal”, Strategy First has become one of the largest publishers of PC CD-ROM games in Canada. After acquiring Micomeq, a game developer located in St. Jerome, QC, and retaining talent from Midnight Software, an award-winning development team from Ottawa, ON, Strategy First is poised to become a major force in the gaming industry. Best known for its Man of War series and Disciples: Sacred Lands, the company has also earned critical acclaim for its work on such titles as Steel Panthers I and II and Age of Rifles for Strategic Simulations Inc. Strategy First has worked with other leading companies in the software and entertainment industry; most notably, A&E Network, Lucas Arts, Cinar Films, Empire Interactive, and Strategic Simulations Inc. 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