CODEMASTERS SECURES PUBLISHING RIGHTS TO HISTORIC STRATEGY ACTION GAME: WORLD WAR II: D-DAY TO BERLIN*

World Renowned Bitmap Brothers To Develop Game

New York, NY – November 29, 2001 – Codemasters has secured the worldwide publishing rights to The Bitmap Brothers’ new real-time action strategy game for the PC, World War II: D-Day to Berlin*.  Scheduled to land on US shores in Q3 2002, World War II: D-Day to Berlin is set to capture the heroism of World War II’s most significant battles. As Commander of the Allied Forces, the game will see players attempting to drive the Axis forces deep back inside their own territory.

“Recent successes in mass entertainment fields, including film and television drama, prove that World War II continues to be an evergreen source of fascination and embraces an audience across many generations,” says Gary Rowe, Head of Business Development at Codemasters. “The Bitmap Brothers’ skills for creating absorbing, engaging and often astonishing gaming classics is a vital part of bringing World War II: D-Day to Berlin’s scenarios alive on the screens of a far-reaching PC audience.”

“We’re committed to creating an experience that will have broad appeal from the core RTS player through to the casual gamer who will be attracted by the game’s historical detail,” comments Mike Montgomery, Managing Director of The Bitmap Brothers. “We’re very excited to have Codemasters’ support and international publishing strength for this project, which we believe can become a major blockbuster.”

* Provisional title.

About Codemasters

Established in 1986, UK-based Codemasters is one of Europe's best-selling and profitable game-makers, developing and publishing titles for the console platforms and PC.  Codemasters’ products first appeared on US retail shelves in 1999 and since then they have continued to provide energetic, compelling and innovative entertainment to gaming fans of all genres.  The company’s 2001 offerings included Blade of Darkness and Operation Flashpoint, both of which met with critical acclaim and enormous consumer praise. Richard Darling, the company’s Design Director and co-founder, is renowned as one of the most prolific game designers and has been involved in the creation of 60 of the company’s staggering #1 titles in the UK.  In keeping with the company's mission to remain on the crest of the gaming wave, Codemasters is developing games for online and next generation platforms.  Additional information about the company and its products can be found at www.codemasters.com

About The Bitmap Brothers

Established over 13 years ago and based in Wapping, London and Harrogate in the North of England, the legendary Bitmap Brothers employ over 20 programmers and artists and is one of the UK's leading independent development studios. The Bitmap Brothers have most recently completed development on two highly anticipated titles, Steel Soldiers (Z2 in the UK) for PC and Speedball 2100 for PlayStation®. More information about the company and its products is available online at
http://www.bitmap-brothers.co.uk.