Cold Winter announced

VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES ANNOUNCES COLD WINTER Los Angeles - April 25, 2003 - Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) today announced the signing of an exclusive worldwide agreement with Swordfish Studios for the multiplatform release of the action FPS title Cold Winter. Under the terms of the agreement, VU Games will oversee the sales, marketing and distribution of the game, while Swordfish will oversee and manage development for both the PlayStation2® computer entertainment system and the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft. Cold Winter is set in a dark world of global espionage, full of international intrigue, action and suspense. This story of a disavowed secret agent unfolds through three different threads and takes place in eight distinct environments that are as gritty as they are beautiful. 13 single player missions are woven into the three story threads of the game; Cold Winter will also incorporate a variety of immersive environments, from the dank hopelessness of a Chinese prison, to the exotic beauty of cities like Cairo and Hong Kong. "As a global leader in multimedia interactive entertainment, our involvement with Swordfish Studios reinforces our continued commitment to quality partnerships and quality content," says Philip O'Neil, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, VU Games. "Cold Winter combines the grim and gritty gameplay hardcore gamers have come to expect with a storyline reminiscent of today's contemporary spy thrillers." "With Cold Winter, our goal is to deliver the most complete and immersive experience possible in an FPS game by creating the ideal balance between technology, storyline and gameplay," says Julian Widdows, Development Director for Swordfish Studios. Based in Birmingham, England, Swordfish Studios is comprised of a group of dedicated, experienced and enthusiastic industry veterans, with publishing credentials on a variety of console platforms, as well as the PC. Their most recent offering was the successful PC action strategy game, Hostile Waters. Cold Winter will also utilize a unique combined items system where the player can create weapons, traps and tools by collecting and combining objects in the environment. Over 30 real world weapons, multiplayer support for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and an advanced character/team AI system are among the features gamers can expect when Cold Winter ships Q3 of 2004. The game will be shown behind closed doors at the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. Note: This title is not yet concept approved by Sony Computer Entertainment America.