Hearts of Iron Ships to Retail Stores Nationwide

Strategy gamers are in for a very happy holiday…

Montreal, Quebec. November 27, 2002 - Publisher Strategy First and Developers Paradox Entertainment, the team behind the award-winning Europa Universalis II, are proud to announce that Hearts of Iron¸ the first World War II game of true grand strategic scope, has shipped to retail stores nationwide.

“If you loved Europa, you are simply going to be blown away by Hearts of Iron,” says Steve Milburn, Director of Marketing for Strategy First. “It has everything that strategy gamers and war buffs are looking for.”

Already being called “the game of all games” and an “instant classic”, Hearts of Iron covers the entire period of the War from 1936 to 1948, rather than fragmented periods, and offers a historically accurate rendering of that monumental decade. Players can bring the battle to any front they choose and must use a combination of diplomacy, strategy and combat to overcome their enemies and lead their country to victory. On top of all this, there are hundreds of hours of gameplay to be found and players can optimize their fun with multiplayer support over LAN or Internet.

Hearts of Iron Features: 

• Epic Gameplay - Global map includes every nation and covers the battle from 1936-1948

• Scenario editor - Player can modify and construct maps and campaigns with their own settings and add national detail

• Highly advanced research model - Change the course of war by acquiring super weapons (nukes) and increasing production capabilities

• Deep diplomatic model - Unique system that simulates political systems and their effect on neutral nations in relation to alliances

• Historical generals and political leaders - Thousands of real people researched for individual detailed uniqueness

• Strategic level military system - Over 100 different ground, air and naval forces fight the entire war on a divisional level

• Real Time gameplay that can be paused at any time

• Soundtrack – Contains 2 hours of quality music in MP3 format

• Optimized for Multiplayer - Hearts of Iron enables players to easily meet over LAN or Internet

For more information on Hearts of Iron, please visit www.strategyfirst.com. Infogrames will distribute Hearts of Iron exclusively throughout North America.

About Paradox Entertainment

Paradox Entertainment was created to build science fiction, fantasy and alternative history brands in cross-media platforms. The company management has a long experience in publishing, interactive media, film and TV entertainment. Its brand portfolio contains successful brands such as Conan the Barbarian, Mutant Chronicles, Europa Universalis and Heavy Gear. In less than two years the interactive games branch has earned worldwide recognition for producing best selling and award-winning PC games such as Europa Universalis I and II and Airfix Dogfighter and is currently producing Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings and Mutant Chronicles Online.

About Strategy First Inc.

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.