The Beginning is Nigh—Microsoft Reveals True Nature of “Hex 168” Online Contest and Secret Xbox 360 Launch Event

"Some of These Things are Not Like The Others. Some of You People Are Not Like the Others."

-Dr. Jason Q. Lutz, "The Principles of Hex"

Xbox confirmed today the true nature of the mysterious online competition that has grabbed the imagination of web surfers and game enthusiasts across the Internet and spawned a flurry of message board activity. "The Sign of the Hex" was created by Microsoft and 42 Entertainment to be a fun, tongue-in-cheek contest to engage the gaming community in the weeks leading up to the launch of Xbox 360.

Visitors to the site www.hex168.com are introduced to the fictional character "Dr. Jason Q. Lutz" (a specialist who has dedicated his career to analyzing the phenomenon known as "Hex 168") and are enlisted as "fellow truth-seekers" in the quest to research and catalog this anomalous global occurrence. In the spirit of the outlandish stories and farcical photos appearing in supermarket tabloid the "Weekly World News," entrants are asked to submit photos or short videos capturing "manifestations of the power of hex" which are posted on the site for public voting. Entrants have until November 4th to submit entrees and voters have until November 7 to rate each individual evidence submissions as "Hexed or Not" and determine the semi-finalists. A panel of pre-qualified judges will then determine the grand prize winners in each category.

A total of 360 grand prize winners will be chosen from the competition. The prizes are a veritable gamer's dream come true:

Hex 168 Grand Prize

• A three day/two night VIP trip to the not-yet-unveiled Xbox 360 Launch Event in November

• Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console- received six full days before launch!

• Copies of three top Xbox 360 games - "Perfect Dark Zero," "Project Gotham Racing 3," and "Kameo: Elements of Power"

• (1) year Gold membership to Xbox LIVE

The Xbox 360 launch event will take place in a yet-unnamed, secret location shortly before the North American launch. Xbox fans from around the world will have the opportunity to join this invitation-only festival and be among the first in the world to experience Xbox 360. Gamers will have the opportunity to play the complete launch lineup for the first time and get "sneak peeks" on several never-before-seen games. In addition, all attendees at this exclusive event get a chance to celebrate the final hours leading into launch with musical performances, participate in special event entertainment and get a one-of-a kind Xbox 360 gift. Participants have until November 4, 2005 to post their Hex submissions and become a part of pop culture and video game history.

For more information, or to enter the competition, visit www.hex168.com.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming service, and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around you. The system will launch this holiday season in Europe, Japan and North America, to be followed by availability in Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan in 2006.

About42 Entertainment

42 Entertainment, LLC, delivers brand and product messages to consumers through immersive, entertainment-based marketing campaigns. 42 delivers experiences in the form of Search OperasSM - narratives that spill off the web, television screens, phones, billboards - and into peoples' everyday lives. 42 was responsible for the groundbreaking ilovebees campaign last year, which drew the audience into the pre-story of Halo 2 through a "War of the Worlds" type experience delivered over payphones across the country. The ilovebees campaign won the 2005 Games Developers Conference Award for Innovation and a Webby for Best Games-Related website. www.42entertainment.com