CONCORD, N.C., April 16, 1999 — Today at the 35th Anniversary of the Ford Mustang event, Microsoft Corp. announced it has reached an agreement with Ford Motor Co. to feature a selection of licensed Ford vehicles in the new “Midtown Madness”
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racing game for the PC from Microsoft. In addition to addictive gameplay, “Midtown Madness” gives PC owners a unique opportunity to go for a virtual test drive in four Ford cars including the new Mustang GT, a Mustang police cruiser, an F-350 pickup and the classic Mustang Fastback.
“We are excited to see our vehicles featured in ‘Midtown Madness,'” said Alex Kim, brand manager, Ford Mustang. “In the ’60s, the Mustang was interwoven with popular culture when it was featured in movies and TV, so it makes sense to introduce Ford vehicles to the fast-growing PC game audience as we approach the new millennium. Ford cars are a lot of fun to drive on the road and virtually exhilarating in ‘Midtown Madness.'”
Set on the city streets of Chicago, “Midtown Madness” is the third installment in the Microsoft® “Madness” line of freestyle racing games. “Midtown Madness” combines the challenge of competitive racing with the freedom of unrestrained exploration within a realistically rendered, fully interactive city environment.
“Midtown Madness” features an assortment of 10 vehicles for racing through the city streets. “All the vehicles have been designed to handle the virtual roads with incredible accuracy, just like their real-life counterpart, whether a driver is cruising along the open highway where the super-fast Mustang GT is tuned for speed or barreling through shortcuts and alleyways in the rough-and-tough Ford F-350,” said Peter Parsons, product manager for Microsoft Games.
Featuring five styles of gameplay, from strategic checkpoint racing to free-form circuit racing, Midtown Madness challenges players to blaze new trails through more than 80 kilometers of roads, shortcuts, neighborhoods – and sometimes buildings – to beat the competition. The “Midtown Madness” “living city” comes complete with ever-changing weather, traffic, city landmarks, a working police network and hundreds of pedestrians, all of which add to the fun. “Midtown Madness” will be available domestically this June and will carry an estimated retail price of $40. It is being developed by Angel Studios, a San Diego game developer. More information about “Midtown Madness” can be found at the game’s official Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/midtown/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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