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BigWorld Technology Suite

MMO tech to underpin Grandia Online from Japan's GameArts.

9 June 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tokyo, Japan- BigWorld Pty Ltd is proud to announce the unveiling of yet another title to be built on BigWorld Technology – namely the long-awaited Grandia Online, currently in development by Tokyo-based GameArts Co., Ltd. The title will be published this summer by GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.

Details of the game were revealed at a recent press conference held in Tokyo’s Akihabara on May 20th to which the press and around sixty fans who had won a contest were invited to be among the first to play the game.

Grandia Online is the latest in a series of best selling games dating as far back as the 1997 release of the original Grandia RPG for the Sega Saturn console. The game itself is set within the world presented in the Grandia series, in the "Age of Genesis", before the original Grandia story takes place.

The Grandia Online announcement comes hot on the heels of the recent upgrades to Hokuto no Ken Online Heroes (“Fist of the North Star” Online Heroes), which was also built on BigWorld Technology by GameArts Co., Ltd.

Yoshitada Iwata, Producer at GungHo Online Entertainment, commented that “The BigWorld Technology provides a robust, cost effective way for us to bring GameArts’ online visions to life. Both the technology and the support we receive from the BigWorld team are second to none, and I cannot recommend the BigWorld platform more highly to teams considering creating any kind of massively multiplayer online game.”

“We are very pleased that GameArts’ experience with the BigWorld Technology Suite during the development of Hokuto-no-Ken led them to acquire a subsequent license for the development of Grandia Online. We look forward to continuing to support them on this title and on future projects, and to growing BigWorld’s presence in Japan more widely”, said James Hursthouse, BigWorld’s Director of Business Development for Japan and Korea.

Grandia Online is expected to enter open beta in July 2009, with a full commercial release in Summer 2009.

Grandia Online Website

http://www.grandiaonline.jp/

About GungHo Online Entertainment(OSE Hercules Ticker symbol: 3765)

GungHo Online Entertainment Inc. has been providing online game services with a focus on the ‘Community’ and developing a convergence focused multiplatform business since August 2002. The business scope includes online gaming services featuring the upcoming ‘Grandia Online’ release. Other titles include ‘Ragnarok Online’, ‘Emil Chronicle Online’, ‘Hokuto-no-Ken Online Heroes’ which are already in the market and a portal site known as Online Theme Park ‘GungHo Games’. GungHo also produces mobile phone games and consumer games. GungHo is working to expand its recognition from being the No.1 Online Game Publisher to becoming the No.1 Games Media Group. In recognition of the service concepts, focusing on “how to have fun”, GungHo plans to foster a community and through that community offer a new kind of online entertainment. http://www.gungho.co.jp/english/

About GameArts Co., Ltd

Game Arts is a Japanese Game developer having been in business since 1985. They have developed titles for PC, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP, Playstation 3 and X Box 360. In 2005, Game Arts became a subsidiary of GungHo Online Entertainment and today continue to develop console and handheld titles under GungHo focusing also on the MMO market. http://www.gamearts.com/

Major Releases include ‘Grandia’ Series (RPG), ‘Luna’ Series (RPG), ‘GunGriffon’ Series (Robot Action Shooting), and ‘Silpheed’ Series (Shooting).

About the BigWorld Technology Suite

Comprised of the BigWorld Server Software, Content Creation Pipeline, 3D Client Engine Package, Live Management Tools & Instrumentation, the BigWorld Technology Suite is the premier complete and proven massively multiplayer game development solution, providing all of the complex systems required to produce engaging, highly scalable next-generation MMOGs and Virtual Worlds.

About BigWorld Pty Ltd

BigWorld Pty Ltd was formed in 2002 to commercialize years of intense R&D, which started in 1999 and continues to this day. With a direct local presence in the USA, China, Japan and Europe, BigWorld licenses its middleware platform to game studios and publishers around the world to build successful next generation MMOGs and Virtual Worlds. For more information and links to currently released or in production titles, visit www.bigworldtech.com/japan

BigWorld Blog

blog.bigworldtech.com

Sales and Media Contact: Yoshikazu Furuhata, Major Account Executive, BigWorld Pty Ltd Japan and Korea office.

Email: furuhata@bigwordtech.com

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