EIDOS SIGNS UP FOR CHICKEN RUN 12 May, 2000 - Eidos Interactive announces that it has secured world-wide rights to publish PlayStation and PC versions of a game based on “Chicken Run,” the new animated feature film due out this summer. Chicken Run is a co-production from Aardman Animations, DreamWorks SKG and Pathé. The game is being licensed from and developed by Blitz Games and is due for release later this year. In keeping with the film’s story, the game is set on a 1950s Yorkshire chicken farm and follows a group of loveable chickens as they try to break out of their confinement. Described as a homage to The Great Escape, the adventure-comedy’s cast includes the voices of Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Miranda Richardson, Imelda Staunton and Jane Horrocks. The film is being distributed by DreamWorks, the studio behind films such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “Antz” and “American Beauty.” Aardman Animations was founded in 1972 by David Sproxton and Peter Lord and has created such characters as Morph, “Creature Comforts” and “Wallace and Gromit.” Aardman has received Oscar® nominations for seven different films and has won three times for “Creature Comforts,” “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave.” Blitz Games, formerly Interactive Studios, is an independent games development company established by the Oliver twins, who started writing games in 1981 and have developed over 100 games. Mike McGarvey COO of Eidos says: “We are delighted to have secured the publishing rights to this game. Chicken Run is hotly tipped to be one of the biggest films this year and we are confident that the game will be as successful.” Philip Oliver, Managing Director of Blitz games, says: “With such a strong license it was important to choose the publisher who would best maximise the potential of the game to the widest possible audience. We are confident we have found this in Eidos. “ Aardman’s Peter Lord and Nick Park, creators and co-directors of Chicken Run, say: “We are very excited to see our characters developed for these platforms, it’s another step forward for chickens and for the studio.”