DWANGO to Host World's Largest Deathmatch Tournament; Final Showdown Played on id Raven Software's Latest Computer Game, HEXEN--Beyond Heretic, at Microsoft's "Judgment Day" Party.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 1995--Starting today, gamers from around the world will be signing up to annihilate their peers in head-to-head PC combat for the title of "World's Best Deathmatch Player" in the ultimate deathmatch competition, Deathmatch '95. The international tournament, sponsored by id Software, GT Interactive Software, DWANGO and Microsoft, will be waged almost entirely on DWANGO (Dial-up Wide Area Network Gaming Operation) with final rounds played face-to-face on October 30th at Microsoft's campus in Redmond, WA.

Players from around the country will compete on DWANGO's 22 servers to determine the best deathmatch player for that server. On October 30th, Devil's Night, each server's champion, plus two European champions, will be flown to Redmond, WA, to compete for the coveted title and prizes during the launch event for HEXEN--Beyond Heretic (id Software and Raven Software), the most immersive, real-world, combat-action game ever produced.

"We are proud to be the only online gaming network capable of hosting a tournament of such magnitude as Deathmatch '95," said Bob Huntley, president and CEO of DWANGO. "We've made deathmatches our business and the best players play on DWANGO."

"We design our games to be totally immersive, making the player feel like they're really part of the action," said Jay Wilbur, biz guy at id Software. "DWANGO facilitates this experience by providing the fastest, most realistic deathmatch play available."

DWANGO uses customized compression/decompression algorithms and client/server technology to provide the fastest, most efficient transfer of information, which is crucial to multi-player gaming. By combining these technologies, DWANGO can match the real-time speed of solo play on a PC, and is equivalent to or better than network and modem-to-modem play.

"With partners such as id Software, Microsoft and DWANGO, this event promises to be the largest, most spectacular computer gaming event in history," said Allan Blum, vice president of marketing at GT Interactive Software. "We're supporting the tournament with a marketing campaign that will excite the entire gaming world."

Registration

Registration for Deathmatch '95 will take place between September 18 and 29, 1995. To register, players must have or establish an account on DWANGO. The free DWANGO client software is available on the registered versions of Doom II, The Ultimate Doom and Heretic, or can be downloaded from the Deathmatch '95 BBS (713/467-5627) or the DWANGO World Wide Web site (http://www.dwango.com). New accounts may be set up by typing DWANGO at the "C" prompt while in the DOOM II, The Ultimate DOOM, or Heretic directory and following the online instructions. There is no registration fee to enter the tournament.

Participants must call the special Deathmatch '95 BBS to register and choose the DWANGO server they wish to play on. The Deathmatch '95 BBS will list each participant's next opponent and deadline for the completion of the next tournament round. All participants receive `VIP' status on DWANGO, entitling them to free, unlimited access to the service, until they are eliminated from the tournament.

Competition

To compete, all participants must own the registered versions of Doom II, The Ultimate Doom and Heretic (Heretic can specially ordered from the Deathmatch '95 BBS for $25). The competition will consist of five-minute matches of DOOM II, Heretic and The Ultimate DOOM. The player with the most "frags" (kills) at the end of the three games will advance to the next level.

Prizes

The Grand Prize finalist will win VIP status on DWANGO for one year, a lifetime supply of id titles and a kick-ass computer to play them on. Finalists from each server will receive a free three-month VIP membership on DWANGO, a unique Deathmatch '95 tournament t-shirt and a copy of HEXEN--Beyond Heretic.

GT Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York, GT Interactive Software, through alliances with major software publishers, merchandises, markets and distributes software titles for computer and gaming platforms via mass merchandisers and specialty retail chains. In addition, through strategic partnerships with developers and rights holders, GTIS publishes select computer software titles.

id Software

id Software, founded in 1991, is a software development company located in Mesquite, Texas. id's team of talented developers continue to make gaming history by creating and publishing one sensational action game after another. Wolfenstein 3-D, DOOM, its sequel DOOM II and Heretic have created a frenzied demand worldwide and have managed to consistently break shareware and retail sales records at home and abroad.

DWANGO

DWANGO is the nation's premier online service dedicated exclusively to multi-player gaming. DWANGO forms alliances with leading game developers and publishers to offer a variety of the most popular multi-player games to the consumer in an online environment. DWANGO, headquartered in New York, has offices in Houston and Dallas, and local servers in New York City, Austin (TX), Boston, Chicago (2), Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Houston, Long Beach (CA), Miami, Minneapolis, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Shreveport (LA), St. Louis, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Montreal, Canada. -0-

All brands, products and service names mentioned are trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: DWANGO/GT Interactive Software/id Software

Audrey Mann/Glenn Mandel/Laurie Rubenstein, 212/696-2000

Technology Solutions, Inc.

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