AUGUST 3, 2001

WOULD-BE CONQUERORS FROM 15 COUNTRIES TO GET A CHANCE TO WIN $50,000

Age Of Empires II: The Conquerors International Tournament Begins This Month

Microsoft today announced additional details surrounding the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors International Tournament, which will award $50,000 to the player who emerges victorious in a glorious battle for world supremacy. Fifteen countries/regions will hold individual tournaments via the MSN Gaming Zone ( http://www.zone.com  ), LAN events, or local partners in August and September 2001. Each country/region will crown a national champion who will receive prize money and represent their home country or region in the world finals. Each of the finalists will be sent to compete in the world finals in Redmond, Washington on October 24, 2001, which will be hosted by Ensemble Studios' legendary game designer Bruce Shelley, among others.

The tournaments held on the MSN Gaming Zone will include those for the United States (excluding MD and VT), Canada (excluding Quebec), United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, and Denmark. Local LAN/ISP events will be held in the Netherlands, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Argentina, and Australia. For more information on each country/region's tournament as well as the official rules, visit the official tournament page:

http://zone.msn.com/conquerors/a2xpworldtourney.asp

Age of Empires is one of the most successful strategy game franchises in history, having sold over eight million units worldwide. The series, developed by Ensemble Studios, has received numerous awards including AIAS Strategy Game of the Year awards for Age of Empires, Age of Empires II: Age of Kings, and The Conquerors Expansion; as well as the prestigious AIAS PC Game of the Year for Age of Empires II: Age of Kings. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion challenges gamers to wage war on an epic scale with all-new civilizations, unique units and technologies, and campaigns based on infamous conquerors such as Attila the Hun, El Cid and Montezuma.

More information about the Conquerors Expansion is available on the game's official site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/conquerors/, or on the Ensemble Studios site at http://www.ensemblestudios.com/.

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