Authentic Online Action and Intense 5-on-5 Gameplay Pounds the Ice with NHL Hitz Pro.

Entertainment Editors/High-Tech Writers

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 2003

Midway Sports(TM) Reinvented Title Features Cover Athlete

Nicklas Lidstrom, Star Defenseman of the Detroit Red Wings(R)

Midway Sports(TM), the sports brand of leading software industry publisher and developer Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), announced today that NHL(R) Hitz(R) Pro, the re-invented version of the NHL(R) Hitz videogame franchise, shipped today for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube(TM).

Nationwide focus testing of sports videogamers produced a clear message: gamers applaud the Midway Sports trademark arcade-style gameplay and intense action but also want to experience their favorite teams, players, and stadiums in an authentic professional sports context. Midway answered the call by taking NHL(R) Hitz in a new direction.

Officially licensed by the NHL(R) and the NHLPA and featuring real NHL(R) teams and athletes, NHL(R) Hitz Pro retains the well-known Midway Sports "edge," but with a new emphasis on realistic NHL(R) features such as 5-on-5 gameplay (including goalies), league penalties and violations, and live online gameplay for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system.

"Gamers can still enjoy the extreme-style hockey gameplay that made the franchise a success, but with an all-new authenticity that die-hard hockey fans demand," said Helene Sheeler, vice president of marketing, Midway.

The head-to-head online play in NHL(R) Hitz Pro features online player rankings and tournaments. NHL(R) Hitz Pro also includes 100 percent NHL(R) legitimate, 23-man player rosters that bring together pro players and authentic team lines with real offensive and defensive team formations in precise correlation with each NHL(R) team.

New gameplay flexibility is built into NHL(R) Hitz Pro to give gamers more control to experience hockey the way they like it. Gamers can dial-in the exact level of gameplay intensity that they enjoy with the new "slider" capabilities. A few quick adjustments in the game set-up menu and gamers can change the rules of the game, the speed of the players on the ice while even the frequency of checks and fights can be increased or decreased.

NHL(R) Hitz Pro includes an improved AI so authentic that gamers will think they are playing with the NHL(R) pros. Goalie animations feature logic and behavior that realistically capture and feature everything from stick saves to stoning a knee-buckling 5-hole shot to slapping the ice with five seconds left in a power play. Gamers also have the ability to score from anywhere on the ice and will feel the tension and strain of NHL(R) action with a new Player Fatigue System that causes them to tire out after experiencing tough checks.

Playing on accurately diagrammed rinks, players will get cheers and jeers from the realistic crowd that reacts to the action on the ice. Additionally, an upgraded Franchise Mode allows players to build a Dynasty and manage every aspect of the team; a re-tooled Hockey School Mode teaches and tests gamers' hockey skills; and a Multiplayer Tournament Mode allows gamers to set up tournaments with up to 16 teams.

In addition, Midway has an exclusive deal with Nicklas Lidstrom, star defenseman of the Detroit Red Wings(R). Lidstrom appears on the packaging and cover art for the game and also brings his big hits to NHL(R) Hitz Pro's DVD section. Viewed as one of the top defensemen in the NHL(R), Lidstrom is a four-time finalist and recipient of the coveted Norris Trophy and member of the 2003 Western Conference All-Star team.

NHL(R) Hitz Pro Key Features:

-- New Online Play - Head-to-head gameplay, online player

rankings and tournaments for the PlayStation(R)2 computer

entertainment system.

-- New 5-on-5 Gameplay - Just the way hockey is played in the

NHL(R), 5-on-5. Every team, every player and every position.

-- New "Slider" Capabilities - Dial-in the exact level of

gameplay intensity desired with the ability to change the

rules of the game, the speed of the players on the ice while

even the frequency of checks and fights can be increased or

decreased in the game set-up menu.

-- Full NHL(R) Penalties and Violations - From offsides and

two-line passing to holding and cross-checking, all NHL(R)

penalties will be enforced in NHL(R) Hitz Pro.

-- 23-Man Player Rosters - 100% legitimate NHL(R) rosters as of

July 21,2003. All players are available and all authentic team

lines are ready to score on goal.

-- Real Stadiums - NHL(R) arenas are accurately diagrammed in

NHL(R) Hitz Pro.

-- Real Offensive and Defensive Team Formations - Every team's

offensive and defensive scheme in NHL(R) Hitz Pro is in

precise correlation with the actual team in the NHL(R).

-- Player Fatigue System - Just as in a real hockey game, as

players dish out the checks, or as the player gets checked to

the ice, the more tired they become.

-- "On-the-Fly" Line Changes - See your line becoming tired or

spot a mismatch in the defensive team and switch up your line

"on-the-fly" to have the freshest players on the ice.

-- Legitimate Stick Handling - Just like the real players in the

NHL(R), glide and move the puck back and forth like a yo-yo

near the net, through the use of the right analog stick.

NHL(R) Hitz Pro offers the most realistic stick and puck

handling on any hockey game to date.

-- Realistic Crowd Reactions - For the first time, a sports

videogame will accurately recreate a realistic crowd and

player emotion based on the flow of the game. You might get a

"ho-hum" reaction from the crowd and your teammates by scoring

a goal to go up 8-0 against your opponent, but the crowd will

flip out and your teammates will rush you when you score the

game-winning goal in overtime.

-- New Color Commentary - Midway is adding a second commentator

to the booth, and he'll give you his take on the game as well

as the lowdown on some of your favorite NHL(R) players.

-- Upgraded Franchise Mode - GM Mode option lets you build a

Dynasty and manage every aspect of your team. Draft and trade

players at your whim! Choose the offensive strategy and plot

the perfect defensive scheme to prevent other teams from

abusing your squad. After you create the perfect strategy, now

determine who starts, and who gets left behind on the bench.

-- Re-tooled Hockey School Mode - NHL(R) Hitz Pro features a

restructured Hockey School where the game player is taught and

the skills tested. Your instructor will introduce a young

NHL(R) All-Star to tell you a little more about what is

important in hockey, as well as provide an NHL(R) Hitz Pro

game tip.

-- Score from Anywhere on the Ice - NHL(R) Hitz Pro now has

multiple new ways to score, new context-sensitive plays like

wraparounds, deflections and flip shots from behind the net.

-- Multiplayer Tournament Mode - Set up tournaments with up to 16

teams.

-- Advanced Options - With different tunable settings and

sliders, you can completely customize your gaming experience,

from glass brittleness right down to puck friction.

-- Enhanced Fantasy Draft - Choose your favorite team and begin

your NHL(R) season from the absolute beginning where all

players become free game and are eligible for the draft. Feel

like an NHL(R) owner and all the pressures that come when

trying to construct a team from scratch.

-- Improved AI - Smarter players, realistic offensive and

defensive behavior. NHL(R) Hitz Pro delivers such realistic

AI, you'll think you're playing one of your friends.

-- Improved Goalie Animations - NHL(R) Hitz Pro has gone to great

lengths to ensure the best and most realistic goalie

animations in the history of the franchise. From stick saves,

to stoning a knee-buckling 5-hole shot, if a goalie can make

the impossible save in the NHL(R), he can make it in NHL(R)

Hitz Pro.

-- Improved Goalie Logic and Behavior - From slapping the ice

with five seconds left in a power play, to sprinting to the

bench with one minute left in the game to give your team the

one-man advantage. Goalies in NHL(R) Hitz Pro behave and react

like the real thing in the NHL(R).

-- Officially Licensed Equipment - Through Franchise Mode, users

will be able to gain equipment to better suit their players.

There will be five levels of equipment, including many of the

biggest brands in hockey: The Hockey Company, Bauer Hockey,

Itech and Easton.

-- New Motion Capture Animations - From new checks, slap shots 

and goalie animations, NHL(R) Hitz Pro improves on more than

1,500 motion-captured animations in the game.

Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

For more information about Midway Games and NHL(R) Hitz 20-04 visit www.nhlhitz.midway.com.

HITZ is a registered trademark of Midway Home Entertainment Inc. MIDWAY and the Midway logos are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P.(C) 2003 NHL. All rights reserved. National Hockey League Player's Association, NHLPA and NHLPA Logo are trademarks of the NHLPA and are used, under license, by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. (C)NHLPA. Officially Licensed Product of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

Nintendo GameCube is a trademarks of Nintendo. (C) 2001 Nintendo. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox and Microsoft are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1. Business - Risk Factors" in Amendment No. 1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2002, and in other more recent filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.