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VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES TO HOST $40,000 ONLINE TOURNAMENT FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS(tm): WAR OF THE RING(tm)

The War for Middle-earth(tm) Begins Early Next Year

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 22, 2003) - Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) announced today an online multiplayer tournament for their newly released PC real-time strategy game, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring (War of the Ring). The War for Middle-earth, Co-sponsored by ATI Technologies Inc., BAWLS Guarana, and Tolkien online fan-sites TheOneRing.net, TolkienOnline.com, WarCry.com, and WaroftheRing.net, will culminate in a final match on March 20th, 2004 and carries a grand prize of $40,000 in cash.

Beginning today, interested participants can sign up online at the official War of the Ring website (http://www.lordoftherings.com/war/) or via GameSpy Arcade (http://www.gamespyarcade.com/events/war_tourney).  On January 26th, 2004, 32 participants will be chosen randomly from all of those who entered and matches will start shortly thereafter.  The final four contestants will be flown to Los Angeles in January for the championship matches.

In addition to the grand prize of $40,000, the top four winners will also receive free games from Vivendi Universal Games, ATI graphics products, five cases of BAWLS Guarana, and a Founder's Club subscription to GameSpy Arcade.

More information about the War of the Ring and details about the tournament can be found at http://www.lordoftherings.com/war/.

In War of the Ring, massive battles erupt as the Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits of Middle-earth battle Sauron's minions.  Players can choose to play as the forces of good and valiantly fight for the One Ring's destruction or assume command of the forces of evil to claim control over Middle-earth forever.

War of the Ring delves deeper into the stories of the good and evil heroes in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, allowing the player to see the events that led to the founding of The Fellowship of the Ring(tm), and participate in some of the important battles that occurred during the Ring quest. 

The storyline for the forces of darkness follows the expansion of Sauron's evil in the Third Age.  The player can lead armies of creatures like Orcs, Trolls, and the cruel Haradrim to spread the power of Sauron across the face of Middle-earth.

About ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world's foremost visual processor unit (VPU) provider and is dedicated to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top and digital television, game console and handheld markets. With 2003 revenues in excess of US $1.3 billion, ATI has more than 2,200 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY).

About BAWLS
BAWLS Guarana, the premier caffeinated drink on the market, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Hoby Buppert, President of Hobarama Corporation. Widely distributed to local super markets, convenience stores, select COMP USA stores and gaming venues, BAWLS is a premium, non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage made from the guarana berry from the Amazonian Rainforest. BAWLS contains twice as much caffeine as coffee and three times that of cola due to a naturally occurring form of the stimulant found in the guarana berry.  Offering a refreshingly light taste of citrus infused cream soda, BAWLS has continued to grow over a variety of different industries including financial institutions, technology businesses, military, high-profile celebrities, and continues to be the most recognized soft drink with the gaming industry. BAWLS reaches millions of computer gamers through "LAN Parties" and tournaments across the country, its gaming website www.bawlsgaming.com,  and sponsorship of the CPL-Cyberathlete Professional League where BAWLS is the official beverage. For more information, please visit http://www.bawls.com.

About Vivendi Universal Games
Headquartered in New York, Vivendi Universal Games (www.vugames.com) is a global leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive products for all major platforms including PCs, video game consoles and the Internet. Vivendi Universal Games' portfolio of development studios and publishing labels includes Blizzard Entertainment, Coktel, Fox Interactive, Knowledge Adventure, Massive Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment and Universal Interactive. Additionally, Vivendi Universal Games co-publishes and/or distributes titles for a number of strategic partners, including Interplay, inXile entertainment, Majesco and Mythic Entertainment, among others. 

"War of the Ring" interactive game (c) 2003 Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. All rights reserved. "The Lord of the Rings," "The Fellowship of the Ring," "War of the Ring," "Middle-earth" and the names of the characters, events, items, and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company dba Tolkien Enterprises under license to Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. Vivendi Universal Games, and the Vivendi Universal Games logo are trademarks of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. "Sierra" and the Sierra logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sierra Entertainment, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries.  



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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring (PC)