STRATEGY FIRST AND STARDOCK ANNOUNCE GALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS FOR A NEW GENERATION OF GAMER

Los Angeles, CA (E3 Expo)  May 22, 2002 – Strategy First and Stardock are pleased to announce that they have entered a worldwide publishing agreement for Galactic Civilizations, the new sequel to the space empire building game originally created in the early 1990’s for OS/2.

“In keeping with our goal to support independent developers, Strategy First is pleased to be working with industry veterans Stardock,“ says Steve Wall, V.P., Business Development for Strategy First. “The original Galactic Civilizations blazed new trails for the strategy genre in terms of A.I. and gameplay, and we are proud to bring you the next installment in this stellar series.”

“Galactic Civilizations has been designed as a strategy game with mainstream appeal,” says Larry Kuperman, V.P. of Sales and Marketing for Stardock. “Strategy First has a proven track record of successfully bringing such games to market. They were a natural partner for us.” 

Galactic Civilizations originally developed for OS/2 in 1993, became one of the best selling consumer products on the OS/2 platform, and won several gaming accolades, including “Game of the Year’ from the Internet PC Games World Charts, beating DOOM, Masters of Orion and Descent for the most highly recommended game.  Like its OS/2 predecessor, the new Galactic Civilizations will feature a combination of exploration, technology research, resource management, diplomacy, and military conquest.

The game is set in the 23rd century as human civilization is expanding into the galaxy. Players will compete against up to five other computer-controlled races for control of the territory.  Part of the challenge will be to determine the best use of humankind's limited resources. The game is designed to give players a number of ways to win, including military conquest, diplomatic alliances, economic domination, technological advancement, and other strategic methods. 

The game’s depth of game play focuses on an unprecedented number of events that come into play and greatly alter the outcome of any given game.  Another interesting feature is the “metaverse” system.  Galactic Civilizations is a turn-based single player game, however players who play on Stardock.net will be able to play as part of a “metaverse” where victories, defeats and campaigns can be recorded. These features combine to give the game a high degree of replayability.

Galactic Civilizations is truly an all encompassing game that allows players to feel like they are participating in an epic story that changes each time they play.

For more information on the game, log onto www.galciv.com.

About Stardock

Stardock is a Midwestern software development company that specializes in desktop environments and PC entertainment. Founded in 1992, Stardock began its life as an OS/2 software developer. Its first product was a game for OS/2 called Galactic Civilizations. Stardock’s second major product was called Object Desktop (for OS/2), a desktop environment designed to allow corporations and end users to customize the operating system to match their requirements. Stardock successfully migrated these products to the Windows platform. Today, WindowBlinds, DesktopX and Stardock’s other products are used by over 5 million people worldwide. Today, Stardock continues forward on its successful strategy of developing desktop environments and world class games. It releases its entertainment titles under the “Stardock Entertainment” brand name and its desktop extensions under its ASP brand Stardock.net. 

About Strategy First

Strategy First Inc. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC.  Founded in 1990, the company has grown rapidly, publishing major games in the industry and simultaneously developing its own in-house titles such as O.R.B., Disciples II, Nexagon: The Pit and Zero-G Marines.  After winning numerous awards for games such as Disciples: Sacred Lands, Europa Universalis, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns and Steel Beasts, Strategy First continues to push the gaming envelope with its own groundbreaking titles, while maintaining its reputation as a unique alternative for independent developers seeking to market their games to a worldwide audience.