SEGA, Visual Concepts and ESPN Introduce New ESPN Videogames Brand

SEGA, Visual Concepts and ESPN Introduce
New ESPN Videogames Brand

Former "2K" Sports Series Gets a New Name,
Enhanced ESPN Features and New Senior Vice President to Drive Strategy

NEW YORK – (June 18, 2003) – The leading
sports games on the market are about to get even better with new features and
branding from the most recognizable name in sports. SEGA(R)’s sports studio,
Visual Concepts Entertainment, maker of the acclaimed ‘2K’ sports game series,
and ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, today announced at a press conference
at the ESPN Zone, a deeper alliance and new branding for the former SEGA Sports
"2K" sports videogame series which will now be called ESPN Videogames. Further
reinforcing the brand’s greatest benefits – ESPN integration and presentation –
ESPN Videogames will continue to deliver some of the best sports videogames on
the market.

Titles planned for release starting this Fall
under the new ESPN Videogames brand will include: "ESPN NFL Football," "ESPN NBA
Basketball," "ESPN NHL Hockey" and "ESPN College Hoops." These games will be
available for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(TM)
videogame system from Microsoft(R).

"ESPN World Series(R) Baseball" is also
planned for release.

"With ESPN Videogames, sports gamers will
experience the same level of fun, realism and competition that they know and
demand from the ‘2K’ games, but with an all new presentation and attitude only
ESPN can help us deliver," said Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts
Entertainment. "We are making great game changes this year and players can look
forward to seeing the new ESPN integration and innovative features not only this
Fall, but year after year."

"We’ve only scratched the surface with this
relationship. The possibilities are endless for how we can continue to enhance
the sports gaming experience with ESPN Videogames," said Rick Alessandri, senior
vice president and general manager, ESPN Enterprises. "The new branding and
further integration is just the first step, with so many more improvements and
ground-breaking features to come."

New ESPN Features, ESPN Talent Performing
Commentary

The enhancements in the 2004 line-up of ESPN
Videogames don’t stop with the new names – they will be jam-packed with new
features and updates that truly take advantage of the ESPN alliance. Visual
Concepts’ sports games have always been heralded for having the most complete
and realistic commentary in the industry. Now, ESPN Videogames will feature
innovative commentary with the inclusion of ESPN talent in the games. ESPN
veteran Chris Berman will provide commentary and re-caps reported from a
re-created SportsCenter studio in "ESPN NFL Football" during pre-game, half-time
and post-game, while Gary Thorne and Bill Clement will handle the play-by-play
and color in "ESPN NHL Hockey," thus further blurring the lines between an ESPN
game and a sports telecast.

ESPN’s well-known presentation features will
also be infused within the games from ESPN-stylized camera angles to stat
panels, fresh overlays and additional music. In addition, the 2004 ESPN
Videogames opening game interface will be modeled after ESPN’s famous look, from
the ESPN NFL Countdown animation to the in-studio SportsCenter set, which will
become the backdrop for the menu screen.

Strategic, Innovative Marketing Push

With this closer alliance, Visual Concepts
and ESPN will work intimately on all strategic marketing elements that will
effectively convey the message about the brand and the line-up. Starting in
August, consumers will see the ESPN Videogames marketing onslaught – starting
with "ESPN NFL Football" – aimed at making sure that consumers nationwide know
that ESPN Videogames makes some of the leading sports games in the business. By
maximizing on-air integration of ESPN Videogames with ESPN programming or
through promotional and event tie-ins such as the ESPN The Magazine National
College Tailgate Tour and the ESPN National Truck Tour, this powerful
combination of Visual Concepts and ESPN will further differentiate and support
the new direction of the ESPN Videogames properties.

Overseeing marketing for ESPN Videogames will
be Steven Raab, senior vice president of sports marketing for Visual Concepts.
In this capacity, Raab will work closely with ESPN to set marketing strategy,
overseeing all elements of advertising, promotions, communications and sports
licensing. Formerly, Raab served as senior vice president of sports marketing
and programming at Turner Broadcasting. There, he managed several of Turner’s
major properties including NASCAR, Major League Baseball and College Football.

"ESPN Videogames opens up a world of
opportunity and new game play experiences for consumers," said Raab. "This brand
is about fun, competition and a realistic sports gaming experience. We look
forward to further driving home that message with consumers through our
marketing and our unparalleled titles."

At the core of all the ESPN Videogames
product launches this year will be an innovative, hard-hitting advertising
campaign. Created by Wieden and Kennedy out of New York, the renowned agency
that handled campaigns for major consumer brands including ESPN and Nike, the
first of the new ESPN Videogames ads will kick off with ESPN NFL Football. The
ads will focus on a compelling new feature that has never been seen before in a
football videogame.

About Visual Concepts Entertainment

Visual Concepts Entertainment is the maker of the critically acclaimed 2K series
of sports games. The company is responsible for the full development and
marketing for all ESPN Videogames titles and is committed to delivering the
best, fully integrated sports gaming experience for all consumers. Visual
Concepts Entertainment is wholly owned by Japan-based SEGA Corporation.

About ESPN
ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is a multinational, multimedia
sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia
assets in sports marketing with over 40 business entities. The company is
comprised of seven domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic,
ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes (launching the end of 2003), ESPN Now, ESPN Today), ESPN
HD (a high-definition simulcast service of ESPN), ESPN Regional Television, ESPN
International (25 international networks and syndication), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com,
ESPN The Magazine, SportsTicker, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN Zones (sports-themed
restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN Broadband, ESPN
Wireless, ESPN Video-on-Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Ct., ESPN
is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc, which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt
Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

NBA, NFL, NCAA, and NHL are trademarks of
their respective owners and used with permission. "PlayStation" and the "PS"
Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox
is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries. (TM), (R), Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube are
trademarks of Nintendo. ESPN is a registered trademark of ESPN, Inc. ESPN
branded elements (C) Disney. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

(C) SEGA CORPORATION, 2003 (C) MLBP 2003 /
MLBPA 2003.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment
America markets the PlayStation(R) game console and develops, publishes, markets
and distributes software for the PlayStation game console and the
PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system for the North American market.
Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America serves as
headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.