Microsoft to Form an Alliance With New Company To Bring Key Microsoft Games to the Macintosh

NEW YORK, July 19, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. today announced its intent to form a games publishing alliance with a new startup company headed by Peter Tamte, who was the founder of MacSoft, former senior director of worldwide consumer marketing for Apple Computer Inc. and former executive vice president of Bungie Software Products Corp.

The proposal, announced at the MACWORLD Conference & Expo, enables the new company to bring select Microsoft® games to the Macintosh platform.

Among the first titles expected to be published for the Macintosh include the best-selling real-time strategy game
“Age of Empires® II: The Age of Kings® ,”
as well as new versions of
“Links™ LS”
and
“Flight Simulator.”
These award-winning, well-established franchises have collectively sold approximately 10 million licensed units worldwide. In addition, the highly anticipated action game
“Halo,”
currently in development at Bungie Studios, is scheduled to appear on the Macintosh as well as being published by Microsoft on the PC and Xbox.

“As a multiplatform entertainment company, Microsoft is committed to making its world-class games available for the PC, Xbox and other platforms through strategic relationships,”
said Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft.
“We are particularly pleased to honor Bungie’s commitment to make ground-breaking games like ‘Halo’ available to gamers on all platforms, including the Macintosh.”

“These are some of the most culturally significant games ever created,”
Tamte said.
“We look forward to working with Microsoft to make these and many other of its other upcoming games available to Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X users.”

“The Macintosh is an excellent gaming platform for both casual and hard-core gamers,”
said Clent Richardson, vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations at Apple.
“We are thrilled that Microsoft and Bungie are bringing Halo and a host of other top-selling games to the Mac platform.”

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft,
“Age of Empires,” “The Age of Kings”
and
“Links”
are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

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