E3Expo/Welcome to the Real World; Live, Work and Play in "Yoot's Tower"; SEI Builds on the Classic "SimTower" with "Yoot's Tower" for PC/Mac.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 1998--Sega(R)Entertainment Inc. (SEI) today announced the addition of strategy/simulation game "Yoot's Tower(TM)" to their title line-up.

Building on the legendary "SimTower(TM)" by EA/Maxis, which won the Software Publisher's Association (SPA) Codie award for "best simulation game" and sold almost 1 million copies worldwide, "Yoot's Tower" gives gamers familiar with the series an entirely "remodeled" experience.

Gamers can now build upon two new locations including Waikiki and Tokyo. For the first time in the series, the company expects to deliver unique "plug-in modules," which include new gameplay elements. The content from the plug-in modules can be saved to players' hard drives and become a part of the original game. A resort location, Kegon Falls, will be packed in with the game when it ships this fall.

Created by Yoot Saito, the mastermind behind "SimTower(TM)," "Yoot's Tower" is being co-published with Yoot Entertainment, the U.S. affiliate of OPeNBooK9003.

True to the series, a focal point of the game is to keep the people happy. "Yoot's Tower" takes this to an all new level with an improved character AI that is so advanced, the people now feel stress, leave hotels with bad service and boycott stores with high prices. With the most advanced level of options seen in the series, gamers must not only choose the kinds of restaurants, retail stores and movie theaters to include, but also the menus, prices and types of movies shown.

Analyzing the PC/Mac gaming markets, SEI saw the opportunity to realign its product line-up, focusing on the biggest segments in the market. With strategy and simulation as top genres for PC gamers (Computer Gaming World study) and the market for Macintosh games at more than $200 million annually, "Yoot's Tower" is a big opportunity for SEI.

"'Yoot's Tower' pushes gamers' strategic thinking sky high, giving them a completely fresh, challenging experience," said Matt Wolf, executive producer, SEI. "This game brings together the creative talents of two leaders in the interactive entertainment industry to deliver a totally new simulation experience for PC/Mac gamers."

The Strategy

An involving simulation of the complexities of high-rise development and management, "Yoot's Tower" challenges gamers to build the ultimate five-star establishment and steadily increase the population of the structure. Given limited funds, players must construct and develop a balanced, profitable commercial property by leasing space inside for hotels, offices, movie theaters, restaurants and shops.

"Yoot's Tower" pushes strategy to a new dimension of complexity, challenging gamers to perfect the process of where and when to place things and how to make them work. With the addition of new locations, gamers must consider the consequences in building a particular structure in a location.

Don't build an office building in Waikiki; the people want to play. Instead, consider hotels with key tourist-type restaurants. Players must keep in mind the water level and seasons when building at Kegon Falls and consider what to do in the off-season.

The Population

Because the people are smarter this time around, gamers must go a step further, checking their satisfaction level and thinking of ways to make their lives easier and happier. Gamers now have access to a "stress meter," which reflects the reactions of people in real-time and can be used as a key tool for improvement. People leave the buildings at sundown, so players must constantly think of how they will get them back in the morning, by making additions to restaurant menus, adding better "A" movies to theaters or finding retail stores that fill a gap in what is available.

Life in Yoot's Tower

"Yoot's Tower" breathes real life and authenticity to other areas of the game. Just like being in a busy city or resort, "Yoot's Tower" is buzzing with realistic sounds ranging from honking horns to moving elevators or crashing waterfalls. People travel in families, kids goof off and run around the buildings and mothers try to track them down, just like in real life. As an additional dose of realism, players must be more frugal than ever because the improved elevators and sky bridges are expensive.

Elevator management is key in "Yoot's Tower," and gamers must be smart and efficient in plotting out traffic flow. They must know how many elevators will be needed and where, when to use escalators or people movers, and when it makes sense to construct a sky bridge between two twin towers -- all in an effort to make life easier for the people.

For, with too much traffic in the building, the stress level of the people will rise and they will leave. Therefore, gamers must think strategically and strive for the easiest navigation possible.

Unlike other strategy/simulation games, "Yoot's Tower" doesn't emphasize winning or losing, allowing for rewarding gameplay on all levels. With a focus on thinking smart and multi-tasking, players are not pressured to keep score.

Gamers are also constantly rewarded with additional stars and thus, additional options to make their buildings even better. As an added bonus, "Yoot's Tower" is filled with hidden elements, or "Easter eggs," for gamers including VIP rockstars that visit your establishment in limos.

"Yoot's Tower" will be available for both PC and Macintosh. For PC, the game requires a minimum specification of 90 Mhz Pentium(R) with Windows 95 and 16 MB memory. For Mac, the game operates on a minimum specification of PowerPC 601 with system 7.5 and 16 MB memory.

Yoot Entertainment is the U.S. affiliate of OPenBook9003. OPeNBooK was founded in February 1994 by Saito, and released several diverse CD-ROM titles including: "Moments of Truth(TM)," a documentary CD-ROM of a big air crash in 1985; "Macintosh Legends(TM)," which includes interviews with inventors of Apple Macintosh originally done by Saito for Mac World Magazine Japan; "Tower(TM)," which sold nearly 1 million units worldwide under the name of "SimTower(TM)" in the United States and Europe. OPeNBooK9003 inc. was formed as a merger of OPeNBooK and 9003 Inc. -0-

Note to Editors: "SimTower(TM)" is a trademark of Electronic Arts. Screen shots for this title are available at ftp://FTP.accesspr.com/

    CONTACT:  Sega Entertainment Inc.
               Dan Stevens, 650/802-3996
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               Access Communications
               Jennifer Walker, 415/904-7070 ext. 283
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               Heather Hawkins, 415/904-7070 ext. 400
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