Ubisoft® to publish in major territories, Midway to direct development for highly-anticipated Vin Diesel driving game

Sydney, Australia — February 20, 2009 — Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, announced today that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Ubisoft to publish Wheelman™, the highly-anticipated open-world driving game starring action-film megastar Vin Diesel as an expert driver for hire. Ubisoft will handle sales, marketing, and distribution of the title in North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Midway will continue to direct the development of the title and retains all future rights to the franchise and will sell the title in all other European territories.

Wheelman is scheduled for a March 26, 2009, ship date in Australia and NZ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. A pre-launch demo is also planned for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Midway to bring Wheelman to stores worldwide,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Ubisoft. “The cutting edge open-world driving technology in Wheelman should make for an experience that gamers will enjoy.”

“Ubisoft’s decision to join Midway in a co-publishing agreement is a gratifying validation of Wheelman’s potential,” commented Matt Booty, president and CEO, Midway. “Ubisoft has a proven expertise at bringing new IP to market, which will allow us to reach a broader consumer segment with Wheelman, while helping Midway to balance the risk profile of our product portfolio.”

“The development team in Newcastle, UK, has fine-tuned and polished Wheelman, especially in these last few months, to deliver a true Hollywood blockbuster experience,” said Craig Duncan, studio head, Midway Studios – Newcastle Ltd. “The demo due out for Xbox 360 and PS3 will show that Wheelman’s new game design mechanics like cinematic super moves and vehicular combat will revolutionize driving games.” 

About Wheelman

Action film megastar Vin Diesel and his Tigon Studios are again blurring the lines between entertainment mediums, this time collaborating with Midway in the design and production of Wheelman to ensure an edge-of- your-seat gaming experience. Diesel’s voice and likeness will appear as the game’s main character, expert Wheelman Milo Burik.

Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic thrill ride guaranteed to leave you breathless. Weave in and out of traffic, engaging in intense vehicular warfare through the winding streets of Barcelona. Your vehicle is your weapon, leaving wreckage in your wake as you take out anything or anyone that gets in your way. Wheelman is slated for a March 24, 2009, ship date in North America and a March 27, 2009, street date in Europe for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and for Windows PC.

About Tigon Studios

Based in Los Angeles, California, TIGON STUDIOS was founded in 2002 by Vin Diesel with the goal of breaking new ground in interactive franchise entertainment by bringing strong story, high production value and interesting and intelligent characters which can exist in multiple mediums, simultaneously to the gaming and film & television industries. TIGON focuses on creating properties that can be launched in both mediums.

The only game production company founded by a major motion picture star, TIGON combines a film industry style business model with veteran talent from the gaming industry to produce the highest quality of interactive entertainment. In its unique role, TIGON works closely with both the developer and the publisher of its games to ensure clear creative vision and quality in each title. By combining the strengths of traditional film development with the innovations of the video game world, TIGON is in an exclusive position to ensure streamlined production across various platforms.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007-08 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

About Midway

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.

WHEELMAN is a trademark of Midway Home Entertainment Inc.  “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Midway has provided the www.ubisoftgroup.com link solely as a convenience for you. The information on this site has been prepared by third parties, and Midway does not monitor, endorse or accept responsibility for the content on non-Midway sites.

Codemasters’ revered series returns this winter with a stylish new identity and packing some serious hardware; discover all in new tech video at www.flashpointgame.com

– Friday, 20th February – Operation Flashpoint™: Dragon Rising, the much-anticipated military shooter that marks the return of the genre-defining conflict series, breaks from cover today with the reveal of its visual identity and the release of a studio insight video. Showcasing the cutting edge technology that will take gamers closer to war than they’ll ever want to get, the video is now available to view and download from www.flashpointgame.com.

Set to deliver the most accessible, engaging and visceral sandbox shooter of the year, Operation Flashpoint™: Dragon Rising is being developed using an evolved variant of the EGO™ Engine, Codemasters Studios’ proprietary technology platform. A cross-format iterative technical project, developed with accreditation from platform holders, the EGO Engine has previously been used to great effect in the creation of award-winning titles Colin McRae: DiRT™ and Race Driver: GRID™. The EGO Engine video released today demonstrates how this technology powers everything from minute detail to grand landscapes; delivering the most immersive real world effects and environments ever seen in a FPS.

“The advantage of investing in our own technology is that we can custom-build major engine components specifically suited to each title; such as dynamically lit particle effects for gunfire and explosions, incredible vehicle detail and extensive worlds that you can literally get lost in” said Brant Nicholas, Senior Producer, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

“Everything that the EGO Engine does adds to the experience and tension of being in a serious conflict situation where one shot can kill. Using the engine’s rendering tech and customised audio systems, we can make players feel the danger and adrenaline rush of modern combat, immersing them in the battle as deeply as possible. The realism of the game and its artistic content goes along way towards that, but having tech driving the detail and effects will give players a real sense of what it’s like to have a 80mm mortar shell land 30ft away – it lifts the playing experience to a whole new level.”
A new high-impact visual identity was also unveiled with the reveal of the game’s logotype and pack design. “As a pillar title for Codemasters in 2009, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising benefits from a very stylish and focussed art direction that is reflected throughout the game, its front end and will be carried through to its on-shelf presence,” said Alex Bertie, VP Brand & Marketing, Codemasters. 

“The logo is a reinvention of the original with an updated contemporary design to reflect a news ticker style and ties to the gritty documentary style of the game’s visuals. Dropping the ‘2’ from the logo is a further nod to the original and tightens the game’s title itself. The packaging also echoes the game’s dramatic and powerful imagery, combining mono photography of an ‘unknown soldier’, in authentic USMC uniform, with a treated in-game background. It’s a high-impact direction befitting of the game’s intense combat experience.”

Coming this Winter for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows®, Operation Flashpoint™: Dragon Rising will see players engaged in the lethality of a deadly conflict against the full force of the Chinese PLA on the huge open-world island of Skira. Take a step closer to war than ever before with the game’s trailer and the new EGO Engine video, along with the latest in-game screenshots, all available online at www.flashpointgame.com.
ABOUT OPERATION FLASHPOINT™: DRAGON RISING

Taking gamers as close to war as they’ll ever want to get, Operation Flashpoint™: Dragon Rising is the much anticipated return of the genre-defining military conflict title. Set to deliver the total combat experience, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising will challenge players to survive the chaos and rapidly evolving situations of modern warfare in a new contemporary theatre

The 220km2 island of Skira, located off the eastern coast of Russia, north of Japan, is an oil-rich Russian-controlled island that stands on the brink of war. An airborne division of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) lands to claim the island as the sovereign possession of the People’s Republic. Russia turns to the US for support aid and they’re quick to respond.  Sending in the USS Iwo Jima, a battalion of US Marines launch an assault on the strung out but dug-in Chinese force. Can the situation be defused before this flashpoint turns white hot and an all-out global war between the superpowers erupts?

Gameplay simulates an immense conflict between advanced forces and provides unparalleled scope with different military disciplines, vehicles and equipment for players to utilise. As an epic campaign weaves the narrative, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising will give players the freedom to handle military crisis situations on their initiative. Unscripted missions will task players with real objectives, such as laying down suppressing fire, covering a friendly unit’s retreat or conducting short-range recon patrol. Coming this summer for the Xbox 360™, the PLAYSTATION®3 and Games For Windows®, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is in development at Codemasters Studios utilising an evolved variant of its proprietary award-winning EGO™ Game Technology Engine. For the trailer video and to sign up for future development briefings, please report to www.flashpointgame.com.

For more information about Atari’s entire product line up, visit www.atari.com.au and log onto the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers, and online screenshots.

Take on your compatriots in a feast of trivia questions on Australian people, places, history, sports, music, movies and more!

SYDNEY, 20 February 2009 – This year, Buzz is on his way to Australia. Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) is sending the sharp-suited gameshow host on his first national tour, searching for our biggest trivia brainbox with a quiz that’ll have patriotic fans hitting their buzzers or waving their PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) for joy.  Packed with thousands of questions on various aspects of Australia, the huge Buzz!™: Brain Of Oz is available on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), PlayStation®2 and PSP and arrives this March. A laugh-a-minute game that’s easy for friends and families to pick up and dive straight into, it’ll test your trivia skills to the hilt while delivering chuckles galore every time – and PS3 owners can compete for a place on the national leaderboard to find out just who is the Brain of Oz.

SYDNEY, Australia, 20th February, 2009 – In the first quarter of 2009, The Fighter Collection (TFC) will
release worldwide “DCS: Black Shark”. This new benchmark in air combat simulation for the PC
introduces the Russian Ka-50 attack helicopter. This title represents the first in a series of products for
the revolutionary new “Digital Combat Simulator” (DCS) simulation environment.

DCS: Black Shark will be distributed in Australia by Mindscape, a leading Australian software distributor and publisher. Following the success of the “Flanker” series and “Lock On: Modern Air Combat”, TFC’s “DCS” will shift the focus to introducing one aircraft at a time but to an incredible level of detail that is unmatched by any PC flight simulation and in many cases, military combat simulators too. Following “DCS: Black Shark”,
TFC will rapidly introduce additional aircraft titles to the “DCS” world such as the A-10C “Warthog”, Su-
25, Su-27, F16 and Apache A at the same exacting level of detail. Each of these aircraft will be
available in retail and online and can be purchased as stand-alone simulations or integrated with other
DCS modules.

Features of the “DCS” include:

• Advanced helicopter and fixed wing flight dynamics
• New ground force AI that creates a realistic combat environment
• Detailed modelling of 330,000 sq km of the western Caucasus region
• Twice the ground detail of previous TFC simulations
• Highly stable, head-to-head and cooperative multiplayer with unique data-link capability
• Powerful mission editor with advanced scripting capability
• Campaign system with a moving front line that depends on mission results

The first aircraft to be included in the “DCS” world will be the Ka-50 “Black Shark” attack helicopter.

The Ka-50, like later “DCS” aircraft, features:

• Highly-detailed six degrees of freedom cockpit
• Unrivalled flight physics system
• Realistic damage model and system cascade affect
• Mouse-clickable cockpit
• Detailed modelling and control of engine, fuel, hydraulics, electrical, navigation, radio, fire
suppression, sensor, and weapon systems (casual game play modes also available)
• Advanced weapon physics for missiles, rockets and cannon rounds including ricochets
• Support for TrackIR head tracker and Matrox TripleHead2Go multiple screens

Blizzard Entertainment® gaming celebration to return to Anaheim Convention Center on

August 21-22

IRVINE, Calif. — February 17, 2009 — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its fourth BlizzCon® gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®’s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes. In response to the festival’s increasing popularity, this year’s event has been expanded from three convention halls to four.

“We’ve been amazed by the incredible response to each of our previous BlizzCon events,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re pleased to be bringing the convention back to Anaheim this year, and we look forward to this new opportunity to meet Blizzard gamers from around the world.”

BlizzCon will offer a wide variety of activities throughout the two-day event. In addition to serving as a gathering place for Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, attendees will be able to enjoy:

Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games
Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Community contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes
A silent auction
More exciting activities and attractions to be announced
 

Further details, including ticket availability and pricing, will be announced on the official BlizzCon website, www.blizzcon.com, as the event draws closer.

19 February 2009 First half results up 34%  – Interim Dividend Declared

Leading Australian IT and e-commerce company Manaccom Corporation Limited (ASX:MNL), today announced a 34% increase in net profit after tax for the half year to December 2008.

This is a result of 22% growth in the Online Division and a 20% growth in the Software Publishing and Distribution Division on a like-for-like basis.

The audited results for the 6 months to December 2008 include revenue of $23.5 million, EBITDA of $1.9 million and a net profit after tax of $1.0 million.

“Both divisions performed extremely well and have bucked the general trend with a strong result”, Manaccom Corporation Limited CEO, Mr Mike Veverka said.

“January trading has been strong providing a robust foundation from which to grow the business as well as the recent acquisition of Star System Solutions”, he said.

“The software publishing and distrubtion division was able to capitalise on the surge of sales of Netbooks with a  range of software distributed on USB keys”, said Ian Mackay, CEO of Manaccom Pty Ltd (the publishing and software division).

“Manaccom continues to receive exceptional support from the market-leading retailers for our full range of products.  January was one of our best ever months as a result of retailers restocking after the strong retail sales over the Christmas New Year period”, Mackay added.

Manaccom’s online division, recently announced that it signed a five-year agreement with NSW Lotteries Corporation appointing a Manaccom division, OzLotteries.com, as its exclusive onling selling agent.

The half year to December 2007 results include 4 months of trading from Manaccom Pty Ltd which was acquired in August 2007. The half year December 2008 include 6 months of trading.

The detailed release to the ASX is available at www.manaccom.com  Shareholders will receive a fully-franked dividend of half a cent for each share held.

– The First NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Video Game is Coming to Australia in May 2009 with Intense One-on-one Combat, Biggest Ever Roster of Ninjas, and New Game Modes –

– 18 February 2009 – NAMCO BANDAI Games today announced NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja 4, the first video game based on the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime series. Featuring the series’ trademark one-on-one ninja battles, the game debuts a number of new and exciting characters as well as several new modes of play for the most comprehensive NARUTO video game experience ever.

Set two and a half years after Naruto left the Hidden Leaf Village to undergo a strict training regiment with his mentor Jiraiya, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 lets players experience this exciting new storyline for the first time. Returning to help save his rival Sasuke from the evil Orochimaru, Naruto is reunited with all his old friends, only to find that a mysterious organization known as Akatsuki now poses an even more ominous threat to the Village.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 features several unique game modes that offer different play experiences as players immerse themselves in the world of ninja. The new Master Mode combines role-playing and action platforming elements, telling the story of how Naruto came to return to the Hidden Leaf Village after his training with Jiraiya. Players can collect items in this mode to unlock characters in Free Battle Mode, featuring the series’ trademark one-on-one ninja battles for one or two players. Packed with new NARUTO SHIPPUDEN characters such as Deidara, Sasori and Chiyo as well as updated versions of fan favorites such as Gaara, Kakashi and Sakura, the game features 52 total playable characters to take into battle.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 will be the first video game based on NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, giving players their first look at how Naruto’s world has changed in the two and a half years since he left his friends to refine his ninja training. Featuring the biggest roster of playable characters ever in the Ultimate Ninja franchise and a variety of new and engaging game modes, it’s everything Naruto fans need to immerse themselves in the characters and storyline of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN.

Developed by CyberConnect2, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 is slated for release on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system this May 2009. For more information on the game, please visit www.naruto-videogames.com.

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood offers audiences two essential Watchmen background stories on one disc

Experience the exclusive and dramatic origin stories essential to the Watchmen experience as the
comic-within-the-comic and Night Owl’s autobiography are brought to life as Paramount Home
Entertainment Premiere’s Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood which arrives on
Blu-ray and DVD on April 23, 2009.

Produced in association with Legendary Pictures, both titles are executive produced by
Watchmen director Zack Snyder, Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder, Thomas Tull and
Wesley Coller.

Tales of the Black Freighter, the story-within-the-story in the acclaimed Watchmen features the
voices of Gerard Butler (300) and Jared Harris (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and is
directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio and Mike Smith and written by Alex Tse (Watchmen) and Zack
Snyder. Tales of the Black Freighter is produced by Brian McNulty and Karen Mayeda-Vranek.

Tales of the Black Freighter brings to strikingly animated life the graphic novel’s richly layered storywithin-
a-story. Within the graphic novel, Tales of the Black Freighter, appears as a comic book
read by a young man in New York City while the city is being destroyed. This daring pirate saga
chronicles a sailor’s journey home from being marooned. During his journey, the young seaman is
“forced by the urgency of his mission to shed one inhibition after another” and experience horrible
events along the way. The turbulent events the sailor endures seem to mirror those in the
Watchmen’s world.

Hollis Mason’s tell-all autobiography, Under the Hood, chronicles the events in Hollis Mason’s life
that led to him to become the masked avenger Nite Owl and discusses how the Minutemen were
formed. It features the original Sally Spectre, the Comedian, Moloch the Mystic, along with Hollis
Mason, the original Nite Owl.

Under the Hood is directed by Eric Matthies, written by Hans Rodionoff and produced by Eric
Matthies and Wesley Coller. Stars Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie and Jeffrey Dean
Morgan appear as their characters from the theatrical Watchmen film in this live-action
documentary style special.