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SIERRA AND ARGONAUT INK DEAL FOR UPCOMING NEXT-GENERATION CONSOLE GAMES

Sierra to Publish New SWAT Games Using Argonaut's Action Shooter Title, Kleaners

BELLEVUE, WA., (August 31, 2001) - Sierra today announced an agreement with UK-based Argonaut Software Ltd. to develop upcoming console games for Sierra. This relationship will allow Sierra to publish entirely new products based on their award-winning SWAT(tm) series, using Argonaut's action shooter game, internally known as Kleaners.

"Taking advantage of Argonaut's new engine and their team's design expertise, we'll be able to create unique console experiences for gamers," said Rod Fung, executive producer at Sierra. "Combining the tactical elements found in Sierra's SWAT titles, with all out squad based shooter excitement, this partnership will allow us to create a new kind of console game with the immediate action console gamers have come to expect."

"SWAT 3 inspired the creation of Kleaners, as we're big fans of the SWAT franchise," says Joss Ellis, COO Argonaut Software. "The Kleaners engine has been designed from the ground up to give the game its own unique look. We have developed our own stylistic variations to give the game its distinct characteristic feel and differentiate it from other games in the genre. I think working with Sierra, we're poised to make a tremendous impact on the console market."

Argonaut Games plc, based in London and Cambridge UK, is one of the largest independent games developers in the world, with over 150 employees, and an 18 year history of producing groundbreaking hit games such as Croc: The Legend of the Gobbos and hardware technologies, like the Super FX chip. Argonaut prides itself on its creativity in games design and is at the vanguard of new technologies with development for current and future mass-market video game platforms such PlayStation(r)2, Game Cube(tm) and Xbox(tm). http://www.argonaut.com,

Vivendi Universal Publishing is a world leader in mass-market multimedia communications. The Company has 22,000 employees and 300 brands in 40 countries and aims to become the unchallenged leader in each of its operating sectors. VU Publishing had 2000 pro-forma revenues of 3.6 billion euros. A leading publisher of online and PC and Console-based interactive content, the Company's portfolio of entertainment software brands includes Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra and Universal Interactive Studios. Interactive entertainment is one of parent company Vivendi Universal's key content areas, along with Movies, Music and other Publishing activities.

Sierra On-Line, Inc. http://www.sierra.com, a studio of Vivendi Universal Publishing and part of its Games division, is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is renowned for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles that represent a wide variety of computer entertainment on both next generation console and PC platforms. ### webmaster@gamezone.com All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.