UNIVERSAL INTERACTIVE SHIPS CRASH BANDICOOT: THE WRATH OF CORTEX(TM) FOR THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE™ TO RETAILERS NATIONWIDE

Crash Franchise Debuts On the Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Features Multiple Link Capabilities

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., September 30, 2002 – Universal Interactive, Inc., a studio of the Games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, announced today that "Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex(TM)" for the Nintendo GameCube(TM) has shipped to retailers nationwide.

"Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" for the Nintendo GameCube™ follows the same storyline as "Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" released for the Sony PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft. Crash must travel by land, sea and air to return order to the world and defeat his arch-nemesis and creator, the evil Dr. Neo Cortex.

"Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" features innovative connectivity between the Nintendo game consoles enabling players to download an exclusive mini-game playable on the Game Boy(R) Advance via the Nintendo GameCube(TM)-Game Boy(R) Advance cable. The mini-game requires no Game Pak but instead utilizes the built-in memory of the Game Boy(R) Advance hardware.

Developed by Eurocom/Traveller's Tales, "Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" pushes the limits of the Nintendo GameCube(TM) hardware offering improved load times and brilliant graphics in addition to multiple play modes, time-trial sequences, a fully playable Coco character with a whole new set of moves and attacks, and five bosses in more than 30 levels of gameplay.

"One of the most successful character-based franchises in the history of video gaming, Crash Bandicoot is making a new home for himself on Nintendo's next-gen console," said Nicholas Longano, general manager of Universal Interactive. "Nintendo GameCube enthusiasts can now crash, spin, pilot a giant mosquito, drive a 4x4 vehicle and race scooters to their hearts' delight."