FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND REAL-LIFE RACERS COLLIDE IN THE LIGHTENING FAST “CAR-PG” PRO RACE DRIVER

New York, NY – April 18, 2002 –Codemasters’ will introduce the first racing title to blend a cast of fictional game characters with motor sport’s real-life teams, locations, championship events and actual drivers when Pro Race Driver races onto store shelves in June for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and late summer for the PC and The Xbox video game system from Microsoft.

In an effort to accurately depict the exhilaration of real-life touring car racing, Pro Race Driver will feature world-racing championships that include Germany’s DTM Championship, Australia’s AVESCO V8 Supercar Shell Championship Series and the UK’s TOCA Tour.  Playing as up and coming racer Ryan McKane, gamers will be thrust into the aggressively realistic close contact of touring car races at the world class level.

While it’s Ryan’s ambition that’s placed him in the new race season, it’s the player’s race game expertise that will get Ryan past the checkered flag in pole position. As the player racks up victories for McKane in races and championships, new managers will attempt to poach him, other teams will  make him offers and he will receive advice from both allies and foes.

ABOUT PRO RACE DRIVER
One driver, one world, one champion – the aggressive, white-knuckle drive of the global Racing Car challenge comes to the screens of gamers in Codemasters’ Pro Race Driver*.

Uniquely blending a cast of game characters with the sport’s real-life drivers, locations and championship events, Pro Race Driver moves the racing game genre on by giving the player one central character to connect with and wraps the high speed action with cinematic presentation. It’s also set to be the only race game to feature high-impact collision damage on the world’s most expensive touring cars.

Pro Race Driver features more licenses than any previous game in the series, enabling players to race the world over in championships such as Germany’s DTM Championship, Australia’s AVESCO V8 Supercar Shell Championship Series and the UK’s TOCA Tour.

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 

ABOUT XBOX
Xbox http://www.xbox.com/ is Microsoft’s future-generation video game system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever.  Xbox empowers game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Xbox is now available in North America at the suggested retail price of $299.99.

*Reseller prices may vary.

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