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WON TO SUPPORT UNREAL
World Opponent Network Announces First Major Third Party Game Agreement With GT Interactive And Epic Megagames To Bring Unreal To WON
Bellevue, WA - The
World Opponent Network (WON), a FREE online
gaming mega-site, today announced it's first
major third party game agreement with Epic
MegaGames (www.epicgames.com), developer of
Unreal, and GT Interactive Software Corp.
(NASDAQ:GTIS, http//www.gtinteractive.com), to bring the highly
anticipated action game Unreal and future games
based on the Unreal Engine to WON. The
non-exclusive deal with both Epic and GT
Interactive gives WON licensed rights to the
Unreal Engine source code to as well as a
marketing partnership with GT Interactive for the
game itself.
WON has committed
to hosting level editing contests as well as
developing an online gaming environment for
Unreal and games based on the Unreal engine. The
recently launched WON, is yet another online
initiative of Cendant, the largest membership
based business in North America. The site, which
officially launched April 13th, can be accessed
at http://www.won.net/.
"WON is
committed to partnering with the best games that
can be played online and we are excited to have
one of the hottest action titles of the year as
part of our community." Proclaimed Bill
Moore, President of WON. "WON will do more
than just host a game on our service, we will add
elements to help create the community around the
game online. The level building contests and
environment developments are examples of WON's
dedication to assisting our partners in adding
more value to the retail product."
"We are
excited to be working with WON and providing
content to their gaming audience," said
Holly Newman, Vice President of Marketing for GT
Internactive. "Unreal takes multi-player
gaming and level editing to new heights, and WON
will provide an excellent avenue for gamers to
experience these features."
"The World
Opponent Network really stepped up to the plate
in terms of going beyond hosting our game to
helping build our online community,"
explained Mark Rein, VP of Epic MegaGames.
"Unreal is a great online game with tons of
ways for the players to get involved with the
title."
Heralded by
Next-Generation magazine as "the best
looking game of all time," and PC Gamer
magazine as "the future" of
gaming," Unreal offers heart-pounding,
single-player action; intense multi-play for up
to 16 gamers; as well as the Unreal Level Editor
- one of the industry's most advanced,
easy-to-use level editor programs. The level
editor allows even novice players to create their
own Unreal levels or customize virtually any
aspect of the game itself in "1/4" the
time of other editors.
Designed for the
Windows95®/Windows98®/Windows NT platforms®,
Unreal transports one or more players to a
beautiful yet deadly planet which, as a result of
a mysterious ore, has become the "Bermuda
Triangle" of space, entwining alien races
from across the galaxy in a battle for survival.
Unreal's visuals set a new standard for realism -
water is transparent, flames randomly flicker,
moving clouds cast shadows - while dynamic
lighting and music changes complement the
on-screen action.
WON differentiates
itself from the plethora of other multi-player
gaming sites on the web by the fact that it
offers the widest variety of content and is
absolutely free. Won features daily game news
from the industry leading site Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/), strategy guides from
Prima Publishing, the largest publisher of PC
game guides, the most complete internet search
engine focused soley on games,
professionally-executed gaming tournaments,
extensive download libraries, community message
boards, extensive links and research tools, and
other informational and entertainment oriented
content.
WON currently has
over 30 active games from seven major developers
live and playable making it one of the largest
aggregators of internet enabled games. Games
which are currently available include: Lords of
Magic, Red Baron II, Civil War Generals 2, Lords
of the Realm II, Front Page Sports: Trophy
Rivers, Outpost 2: Divided Destiny, MissionForce:
Cyberstorm, 3D Ultra Minigolf, The Time Warp of
Dr. Brain, Front Page Sports: Football '97 &
'98, Front Page Sports: Golf, Trophy Bass 2,
Shivers 2, Birthright, Hoyle Black Jack, Hoyle
Poker, Hoyle Board Games, Hoyle Cards, Hoyle
Casino, Power Chess and Power Chess '98. (NOTE:
although the service is free, players must have
purchased the actual CD-ROM versions to connect
and play).
Also, gamers may
participate in one of 17 free online only games
(which do not require the pre-purchase of a
CD-ROM): YOU DON'T KNOW JACK the netshow, YOU
DON'T KNOW JACK Sports the netshow and Acrophobia
by accessing Berkeley Systems' wildly successful http://www.bezerk.com , which is an integrated
brand within WON and a series of online only
Hoyle products which include Backgammon, Battling
Ships, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Chess, Spades,
Hearts, Gin, Bridge, 5-Card Draw, 5-Card Low
Ball, 7-Card Stud, Texas Hold 'em and Black Jack.
Epic MegaGames
Inc. is a privately held company based in
Rockville, MD, with offices in the U.K.
Established in 1991, Epic produces, markets and
distributes cutting-edge PC games. Best know for
Jazz Jackrabbit and Epic Pinball, the company has
released more than 20 products. In addition to
worldwide retail publishing arrangements, Epic
distributes its products directly to end users
using the sharware model. Additional company and
product information may be obtained through
Epic's World Wide Web site at http://www.epicgames.com.
Headquartered in
NY, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading
global publisher of entertainment and edutainment
software under the GT Interactive, Cavedog
Entertainment, SingleTrac and MacSoft brands for
personal computers as well as game consoles from
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. and
Nintendo. The company operates development
studios in Seattle, Salt Lake City and San Luis
Obispo, CA, as well as MN-based GT Value
Products, a market share leader in budget
software under the WizardWorks, CompuWorks and
Slash brands. Located on the World Wide Web at http://www.gtinteractive.com, GT Interactive is
publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market
System under the symbol GTIS.
World Opponent
Network (WON) corporate headquarters are located
in Bellevue, WA. WON is an autonomous business
unit incorporated within Cendant, the largest
membership based business in North America and
owner of Cendant Software the largest publisher
of consumer PC software in the world.
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