ENLIGHT ANNOUNCES FIRST "X 3: REUNION" DETAILS

PARKVILLE, MD - April 27th, 2005 - Having announced the development of "X3: REUNION," sequel to the award winning 2004 PC space combat/trading game, "X2: THE THREAT," EGOSOFT today unveils some of the key aspects to the game, which will define X3 as a 'bench mark' in the space combat/trading genre. Set for a third quarter launch in 2005 on PC, "X3: REUNION" will be published by Enlight.

"X3: REUNION" continues to lead the way in offering players the ultimate open ended game play experience, backed by an addictive storyline and intense combat/trading action. Utilizing the 'X3 Reality' engine, the universe has been massively increased, both in terms of size and visual presentation. Over 200 newly designed models, including factories, stations and star ships await the player, across a universe of over 10,000 interactive objects. "X2: THE THREAT" established the principles of FIGHT, TRADE, BUILD & THINK and these are at the core of the X3 experience.

Combat A.I. has been improved to take all ship classes into account and will challenge players; from individual dog fights to commanding full-scale fleets against massive enemy armadas. A new array of weapon systems give increased choice and tactics for any situation, while the multiple threat targeting system makes the player a force to be reckoned with. Rebalanced fighter classes make any encounter a challenge for players of all levels.

"X3: REUNION" introduces a new economy system, dynamically reactive in pricing relative to supply and demand. Players benefit from flexible factory capacity, new products to manufacture and a variety of ship classes for trade. The new management interface allows for improved realism and ease of use, as negotiations of product prices with NPC game characters can occur, in addition to quoted prices based on availability.

The evolved and larger universe gives the player more freedom to create their ultimate trade empire. Varied sector sizes allow player and NPC factories to be positioned three dimensionally, while A.I. behavior lets the player experience the destruction of factories through race wars and natural disasters, triggering competition for the player with A.I. NPC factories. Budding trade entrepreneurs can interconnect factories to create huge space born complexes, to truly mass produce the commodities a universal economy demands.

A professional screen-written story line can be followed or ignored by the player, in the complete freedom of a sprawling, 'free roaming' universe. Every action of the player has a consequence upon the surrounding universe and the characters within. Missions are tailored for players of all levels, acting as both a challenge for the experienced and a learning curve for the novice. Game starting positions allow players to choose different career paths, for any of the universe's species. Hollywood voice talent adds to the movie feel of the game and brings a universe of characters to life.

Technical Features

• "X3: REUNION" engine utilizes the very latest DirectX 9 graphical technology; 2.0 pixel shader technology is used to create realistic reflections across a variety of surface types, while bump maps and specula maps add detail to the geometry of objects.

• A freshly developed economy system allows for more imaginative ways to conquer your foes via commerce. Functions using established business models of 'Elasticity of demand', 'Economies of scale' and 'Return on investment'. Factories are constructed by non player characters, which can freely trade; wars in sectors affect the universal economy, while opportunities bring challenges to both novice and experienced players.

• Over 200 newly designed models have been created for X3, penned by professional artists. Star ship detail has been massively increased; implementation through the new Reality engine gives an increase in detail of up to 10 time.

• A new graphical user interface prevents less screen obstruction and faster access to all game options.

• Completely redesigned X universe, with new high detailed environments including asteroid fields, dense gaseous nebulae's, star ship graveyards and much more. Players can fly much closer to planetary bodies; where space stations can hang in low planetary orbits.

• A multitude of new technologies and weapons systems, make the player even more devastating in combat; multi-threat tracking system allows for numerous objects to be pin pointed simultaneously.

• Controllable via joystick, keyboard and mouse cursor; all are fully re-mappable giving the player infinite choice over control layout, which can be stored as custom profiles

For additional information on "X3: Reunion," please visit: www.X3-Reunion.com 

ABOUT Enlight: Enlight is one of the world's leading developers of entertainment software. The company was founded in 1993, with a goal of creating games that are not only entertaining, but of equal importance, enlightening. In 2003, Enlight made its entry into the publishing arena, establishing Enlight Interactive Inc., the US publishing arm of the Enlight group as well as consolidating strategic partnerships with distributors all over the world. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.enlight.com 

About EGOSOFT: EGOSOFT, founded in 1990, is one of the oldest game development companies from Germany. Its team of industry veterans and dedicated game enthusiasts entered the international stage with the widely acclaimed X-Beyond the Frontier space simulation game in 1999. EGOSOFT is now exclusively dedicated to setting new standards in the space game genre and constantly improves the level of freedom in the X Universe. For more information on EGOSOFT and its products visit http://www.egosoft.com

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