GT INTERACTIVE TO LAUNCH FULL VERSION OF ID SOFTWARE'S 'QUAKE' IN EUROPE AS ID RELEASES SHAREWARE TO U.S. RETAILERS; For the First Time, Full Version of id Title Debuts Internationally, Concurrent with U.S. Shareware.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 1996--Unveiling further details of the highly anticipated rollout of QUAKE, id Software's forthcoming new computer game, GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ: GTIS) said today it will launch the full version of the game at all overseas retailers at the same time that id Software directly distributes the QUAKE shareware to retail in the U.S. The move represents the first time a full version of an id title will debut outside the U.S. concurrent with its U.S. shareware counterpart at retail. This also marks the first time id Software has directly distributed a shareware product under the id label.

Within the year after id releases its retail shareware version of QUAKE which, as id has done in the past, will also be available as a download over the Internet and various bulletin board services, GT Interactive plans to publish worldwide, a new QUAKE title. (Through the distribution of shareware, consumers may sample an abbreviated version of a game with the opportunity to purchase a full version of it directly from id via 1-800-idgames or id's website.) GT Interactive has also obtained the worldwide rights to publish QUAKE on 32-and 64-bit console gaming systems.

"Similar to the marketing strategy weOve consistently employed with other successful id titles such as DOOM II, The Ultimate DOOM and HEXEN, id's shareware release will be followed by our release of a new Quake title on the PC platform," said Ron Chaimowitz, president and chief executive officer for GT Interactive. "This has proven to be very successful in developing awareness and demand for new versions of a game."

"The QUAKE development team is amazing and we are thrilled with the game's progress," said Jay Wilbur, biz guy at id Software. "We are confident that QUAKE will mark the next quantum leap in computer gaming."

GT Interactive has established a successful relationship with id Software through its publishing and retail distribution agreements for such best-selling titles as DOOM II, The Ultimate DOOM, DOOM II for Macintosh and HEXEN -- Beyond Heretic. In the coming year, GT Interactive will release several id titles including Final DOOM; HEXEN: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel; Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders; Windows 95 versions of DOOM II, The Ultimate DOOM and HEXEN; and HEXEN for Macintosh.

QUAKE is being heralded by computer game reviewers and enthusiasts as one of the most highly anticipated computer games of all time. The fast-paced, action-filled title, which will feature true 3-D environments and texture-mapped polygonal characters, will also use client server technology for multiplayer modem and network play. QUAKE also features all new core technology -- the first time an id Software title has been created with new core technology since its 1993 release, DOOM.

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 3D, DOOM, DOOM II, Heretic and HEXEN have created a frenzied demand worldwide and have managed to consistently break shareware and retail sales records at home and abroad.

Headquartered in NY, with offices in London, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment, edutainment and reference software for IBM- compatible and Macintosh computers as well as 32- and 64-bit gaming systems. Among GT Interactive's best-selling titles are DOOM II and Mortal Kombat 3. Located at www.gtinteractive.com on the World Wide Web, GT Interactive is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol GTIS.

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