FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIKE TYSON BOXING ON PSX
DUE FROM CODEMASTERS MAY 2000

Warwickshire, England, UK – International game developer and publisher Codemasters will ship a realistic boxing simulation game for the PlayStation gaming console based on one of the most recognizable sports figures of all time.  Heavyweight contender and former champ Mike Tyson has lent his name to the upcoming title “Mike Tyson Boxing” due in the North American market in May 2000 (SRP $39.99).

The game will include many features that promise a variety of modes of play, including a career management and training mode, as well as a highly advanced character animation system.  Its unique physics-based fight engine allows much greater freedom of movement in the ring than has been found in previous boxing games, developers say.  Its viewpoint and scoring system is specially designed to mimic the actual punishing physical effects of boxing.

Some 90 boxers, including Tyson, are found in the game, in three different weight classes.  Twenty-four of the fighters can be controlled by the player directly, playing in any of four different play modes:  Versus, Showcase, Career and Practice.

In the Versus and Showcase modes, 16 international boxers are featured, each having his own unique personality and fighting style.  (Eight are immediately available to the player; an additional eight are unlocked as the player progresses.)

Each boxer has an arsenal of 12 different punches which can be thrown in combination via free-form combination attack system that allows players to find their own favorite modes of attack.

Tyson will fight next in the United Kingdom, coincidentally where Codemasters is based.  The January 29 bout in Manchester, England will pit Tyson against Julius Francis in the former champ’s first fight in Great Britain.  Representatives of the Tyson camp fully expect the Francis bout to be a stepping-stone toward the inevitable regaining of the heavyweight crown.  Only days before the fight, local oddsmakers already were putting Tyson as the 100 – 1 favorite over the British champion.

ABOUT CODEMASTERS
Established in 1986, UK-based Codemasters has become one of Europe’s best-selling and profitable game-makers, developing and publishing titles for the console platform as well as for PCs.  Frequently honored within the European games industry, the company was named “Publisher of the Year” for 1998 by Edge Magazine.  The company is currently extending its proven successful business model into the United States, bringing the Codemasters portfolio of hit games to other markets.  Holiday 1999 marked the first Codemasters products to appear on US retail shelves.  These products are Touring Car Challenge, MTV Music Generator and No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing.  It is the company founders belief in the need to understand what game players want that has translated into a continuous string of hit games that have delighted gamers and earned the respect of the industry and yielded consistent profits.  Codemasters can be found at http://www.codemasters.com.