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Capcom Signs Deal With High Moon Studios To Publish Darkwatch™

Collaboration Delivers Original Title That Puts A Twist On The First Person Shooter Genre

E3, LOS ANGELES- May 18, 2005 - Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that they have reached an agreement with premier development house High Moon Studios, Inc. to publish their flagship title, DarkwatchTM. Darkwatch is an immersive, story driven FPS (first person shooter) for the PlayStation*2 computer entertainment system and the XboxTM video game system from Microsoft* that blends the lawless action of the Wild West with the blood-soaked horror of vampire movies. Darkwatch will deliver an action-packed, cinematic experience when the game is released in Q3 2005.

"We are ecstatic to be working with High Moon Studios on the Darkwatch product," said Todd Thorson, director of marketing, Capcom Entertainment. "High Moon Studios has crafted a unique and immersive first person shooter which raises the bar for quality and will take the market by storm with its gripping story and intense fast action gameplay."

"We are thrilled to be working with Capcom to bring Darkwatch to gamers," said John Rowe, president and CEO of High Moon Studios, Inc. "Capcom has a sterling reputation for the caliber of products in their portfolio, and for their stellar job in establishing their properties in the marketplace. We could not have asked for a better partner to introduce Darkwatch and help confirm its place as a premier entertainment property."

Darkwatch is a mysterious secret society that has protected humanity from evil since the dawn of civilization. Their newest and most deadly agent is Jericho Cross, an outlaw gunslinger pulled into their ranks after an unfortunate close encounter with a vampire lord. As the one responsible for unleashing the vampire and his minions on the West, Jericho must use his new vampire powers to hunt him down to prevent the American Frontier from being overrun by the undead, and to save his own soul from eternal damnation.

Darkwatch promises a cinematic video game experience with remarkable game play variety in a FPS. With Jericho's supernatural abilities, mysteriously advanced weaponry, shattering melee attacks unique to each weapon, armed vehicles and a deadly demon steed, players lay waste across a Wild West infested by Vampires and other supernatural creatures. Darkwatch introduces a dynamic reputation and experience system where the choices the player makes lead to different paths and supernatural vampire abilities. The experience is further enhanced with location-specific damage, letting players tear apart the undead, and innovative use of Havok physics for dynamic objects that can be improvised as weapons.

Darkwatch includes the following features:

  • First ever Vampire Western game - Blast through a frightening re-imagination of the Wild West with exceptional art and design work inspired by both Vampire-Horror and Western genres
  • Different modes of play - Darkwatch features a deep, single player story driven adventure along with adrenalin-fueled multiplayer combat: two player split screen versus and co-op mode on PlayStation 2, and up to 16 players online via XboxTM Live
  • Cinematic experience - Explosive FPS action framed by a cinematic storyline
  • A diverse arsenal of "Darkwatch-enhanced" weapons - Take the "un" out of "undead" in a variety of ways with a wide assortment of weapons including rapid-fire handguns, dual-wielding pistols, rifles, shotguns, crossbows, rocket-launchers, dynamite and even weapon-specific melee attacks
  • Dynamic game play- Experience non-linear missions and a dynamic enemy reputation and experience system that affects player abilities and game outcome
  • Unique weapons, powerful assault vehicles, horse-mounted gun fighting and special vampire abilities bring new depth to FPS gameplay in both single and multiplayer mode
  • Location-specific damage and physics powered by Havok bring precision and realism to gunplay - tear the undead to pieces, blow off their heads, shoot out their feet from under them, or practice your aim on countless interactive environment objects

About High Moon Studios, Inc.

High Moon Studios, Inc., formerly Sammy Studios, Inc., is an independent video game development company. Headquartered in the coastal city of Carlsbad in San Diego County, California, High Moon employs over 100 game developers at a state-of-the-art, fully equipped development facility. High Moon is best known for its highly-anticipated first-person shooter "Darkwatch" (www.darkwatch.com <<a target="_new" class="releaselink" href="http://www.darkwatch.com>">http://www.darkwatch.com> ), and is currently working on additional original properties for this and next-generation video game consoles. For more information on High Moon Studios, please visit www.highmoonstudios.com <<a target="_new" class="releaselink" href="http://www.highmoonstudios.com>">http://www.highmoonstudios.com> .

About Capcom

Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. Founded in 1983, the company has created world renowned franchises including Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Breath of Fire, Devil May Cry and the Onimusha series. Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, the company maintains operations in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, Tokyo and Hong Kong. More information about Capcom and its products can be found on the company's web site at www.capcom.com <<a target="_new" class="releaselink" href="http://www.capcom.com/>">http://www.capcom.com/> .

Capcom, Mega Man, Resident Evil, Onimusha, Devil May Cry and Breath of Fire are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox Logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. All rights reserved. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Contact:

Arne Cual-Pedroso

Alicia Kim

(408) 774-0500

High Moon Studios, Inc.

Meelad Sadat

(310) 346-5325

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