REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 21, 2002 — More than 20 new aquatic creatures soon will have gamers nationwide glued to their PCs. The
“Zoo Tycoon (TM) : Marine Mania(TM)”
expansion pack hits store shelves this week as Microsoft Corp. announces that more than 1 million licensed units of its family-friendly
“Zoo Tycoon”
PC game have been sold. Since its debut in October 2001, “Zoo Tycoon” has reached top-selling* status on the software charts, and it continues to grow in popularity with players of all ages. The latest addition to the franchise,
“Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania,”
adds aquatic-themed content and oceans of fun to this award-winning series that challenges players to create and manage the ultimate zoo.
“‘Zoo Tycoon’ is a fun and imaginative game for players of all ages,”
said Chuck Frizelle, product manager at Microsoft.
“Everyone enjoys creating their perfect zoo and watching what happens when they let the lions loose.”
“Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania”
increases the fun and excitement of running a zoo with new features such as customizable killer whale and dolphin shows and whimsical marine-themed buildings and attractions. Marine specialists are on hand to ensure the aquatic creatures are well taken care of and provide players with tips on keeping them happy and healthy, both of which are vital to a successful zoo. The zoo visitor’s experience is awash with interactive activities including strolling through a shark tunnel, paddling around in rented boats and even swimming with dolphins. In addition, an abundance of sea objects are available to enhance exhibits. Guests can be awed by vibrant coral displays as they watch dolphins jump through hoops and sharks navigate through sunken treasures.
Caring for marine animals also presents players with new challenges, from learning proper care of aquatic animals to carefully considering water depth and filtration. Eleven marine-specific scenarios put players’ zoo management abilities to the test as they strive to harmonize animal and guest needs to keep their zoo thriving.
Developed by Blue Fang Games LLC, the
“Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania”
expansion pack integrates seamlessly with the original
“Zoo Tycoon,”
which is required for play.
“Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania”
also includes all the prehistoric content available in
“Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs,”
an expansion pack that was released earlier this year.
“Zoo Tycoon”
players can now merge land animals, prehistoric beasts and aquatic creatures in a quest to build the ultimate zoo.
About
“
Zoo Tycoon
”
Simple to play yet challenging to master, Microsoft® “Zoo Tycoon”
offers engaging gameplay for animal lovers and simulation game fans of all ages. A top-selling* PC game title by units for the last three quarters since its release in October 2001,
“Zoo Tycoon”
has captivating imagery, clever gameplay and interactive tutorials that make it easy to play right out of the box.
“Zoo Tycoon”
has something for everyone, stimulating creativity and imagination as players respond to the needs of animals and guests. Now players can add prehistoric beasts with
“Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs”
and aquatic creatures with
“Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania,”
two expansion packs for the original game. Additional information is available at http://www.zootycoon.com/ .
About Blue Fang Games
Blue Fang Games LLC is a computer game development company located in Boston. Blue Fang was founded by two former Papyrus Design Group/Sierra Online veterans, Adam Levesque and John Wheeler, who led the development of the best-selling and critically acclaimed NASCAR Racing series of products. They formed the company in July 1998. Today, Blue Fang Games is a thriving game company, committed to making high-quality games. Blue Fang Games can be located on the Internet at http://www.bluefanggames.com/ .
About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the PC, Xbox (TM) video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios for the PC ( http://www.microsoft.com/games/ ), including such franchises as
“Age of Empires® ,” “Flight Simulator”
and
“Zoo Tycoon”
; Xbox ( http://www.xbox.com/ ), including such franchises as
“Halo(TM),” “Project Gotham Racing(TM)”
and
“NFL Fever”
; and Zone.com ( http://zone.msn.com/ ), the official games channel for the MSN®
network and home to such hits as
“Bejeweled”
and
“OutSmart(TM).”
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft Corp. (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.
* NPDTechworldSM, October 2001–June 2002. Based on total U.S. retail sales.
Microsoft, Zoo Tycoon, Marine Mania, Xbox, Age of Empires, Halo, Project Gotham Racing, MSN and OutSmart 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. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .
