INDY RACING LEAGUE – THE FASTEST, MOST INTENSE RACING EXPERIENCE…

Becomes The Fastest and Most Intense Video Game Ever

New York – January 14, 2003 - It’s not just driving – it’s blisteringly fast, nerve-shatteringly intense, pure professional racing and it’s unlike any racing video game to date. This is Indy Racing League, the official video game of the grueling US open-wheel championship, features real drivers, cars and tracks.  Published by Codemasters, Indy Racing League will ship in spring 2003 for PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC.

Set to be the most exciting and entertaining open-wheel racing game ever designed, Indy Racing League features adrenaline-fuelled, ultra-close pack racing, with up to 33 cars racing on a track at one time. Requiring total focus to handle the incredible overtaking maneuvers, players will be racing at speeds well over 200mph.  

Indy Racing League delivers the Indy Racing season, including the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500) race, "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."  The season is an open-wheeled championship on short ovals and super speedways throughout the US, including California and Texas, with the Indy 500 as the highlight of its racing calendar. Indy cars are similar to F1 but are powered by 3.5-litre V8 engines, used by all teams. Fast and furious, the 650 bhp cars reach 0-100 mph in less than three seconds.

As a game, Indy Racing League provides immediate lightening-paced action, authentic yet intuitive handling, spectacular collisions and a dynamically adjusted level of difficulty to keep the challenges on the circuits coming thick and fast.  To succeed in this intense sport, it’s all about racing using real Indy Racing tactics, making for a fresh racing game challenge.  Players must continuously overtake other drivers, defend positions, perform close maneuvers at high speeds, utilize drafting techniques and switch fuel settings to take advantage of either speed or economy.

Codemasters’ Indy Racing League is the only game that features the official cars, tracks, teams and drivers, totaling 14 tracks, 27 cars and 15 action-packed races all in US TV-style presentation. A fully authentic Indy 500 mode features the spectacle and excitement of the most attended single-day sporting event in the world. Brilliant detailing makes it a hugely realistic racing challenge, with all the Indy Racing League rules and flags, right down to a dynamic track surface in which track temperature affects tire grip.  Accurate in-game recreations of the racing speedways even include fully animated pit crews, field marshals, clean-up crews and vehicles.

For updates on the game’s continuing development, see the dedicated web site at http://www.codemasters.com/indyracingleague

ABOUT THE INDY RACING LEAGUE
The Indy Racing League is the premier open-wheel, oval-track racing series in the world. The 16-race championship will take place on speedways around the USA, including Indianapolis, California and Texas, and will compete for the first time internationally in 2003 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. The sleek, aerodynamic open-wheel, single-seat cars are powered by General Motors, Honda and Toyota engines that produce more than 650 bhp. The cars travel from 0-100 mph in less than three seconds and race inches apart at more than 220 mph on the larger circuits. The historic and world-famous Indianapolis 500 is the most prestigious event on the series' racing calendar, with a purse of more than $10 million, the largest in the world. The race is truly "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," with the largest single-day spectator crowd of any sporting event in the world and telecasts to 66 countries with a reach of 313 million homes.

ABOUT THE INDY RACING LEAGUE
Codemasters’ Indy Racing League is the first and only videogame to feature the full season and all of the circuits raced at. Exclusively licensed, and with the full backing and support of the sports governing body, Indy Racing League will capture the authentic driving experience with TV-style presentation and commentary.  The game will feature interactive crowd reactions, challenging and realistic AI opponents, exhilarating tension-packed races, true-to-life physics and realistic damage models. The title is due out in spring 2003.

ABOUT CODEMASTERS
Established in 1986, UK-based Codemasters is one of Europe's best-selling and profitable game-makers, developing and publishing titles for the console platforms and PC.  Codemasters’ products first appeared on US retail shelves in 1999 and since then they have continued to provide energetic, compelling and innovative entertainment to gaming fans of all genres.  The company’s 2001 offerings included Blade of Darkness and Operation Flashpoint, both of which met with critical acclaim and enormous consumer praise. Richard Darling, the company’s Design Director and co-founder, is renowned as one of the most prolific game designers and has been involved in the creation of 60 of the company’s staggering #1 titles in the UK.  In keeping with the company's mission to remain on the crest of the gaming wave, Codemasters is developing games for online and next generation platforms.  Additional information about the company and its products can be found at www.codemasters.com

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