Ubisoft Blasts Off Hudson's New And Improved Bomberman In Europe And North America

Publishing deal brings gamers classic franchise with new twists for Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation2

London, UK – January 27, 2005 – Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, today announces that it has signed an exclusive deal with Hudson Soft Co., Ltd, a leading developer of game and entertainment software, to publish and distribute Bomberman DS for the Nintendo DS^TM in Europe and North America and Bomberman Hardball for Sony's PlayStation®2 throughout Europe. The latest installments of the well-known action/puzzle series Bomberman will be released on PS2 this Spring and for the DS in Summer 2005.

Fans of the Bomberman multiplayer videogame will enjoy the smooth simplicity of the original gameplay but with the enhancement of 3D graphics. New enemy characters will join the familiar ones that led to its lasting popularity. Both Bomberman Hardball and Bomberman DS will offer a novel gaming experience that leverages the capabilities of each platform while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original game.

Bomberman Hardball for PlayStation®2 innovates on the brand's classic puzzle-based bombing action with new baseball, golf and tennis games each of which has single-player and multi-player modes. A new 'life' mode tied to the PS2 system clock provides a dynamic view of your character's day-to-day activities, and side challenges allow you to customize his or her appearance. Naturally, the traditional Bomberman game can be experienced through five different 'battle' modes for up to 4 players.

Bomberman DS will take advantage of the unique features of Nintendo's new handheld console. The intense battle action will take place on both screens of the console for a wider view of the game, with players able to access and use the menu via the Touch Screen function. Leading battles by voice input will be easy with the Nintendo DS^TM voice recognition system and microphone: just 'SHOUT' and win your battle! Gamers can also choose between the 'standard' single-player mode and 'battle' mode where up to 8 people compete against each other via the wireless LAN feature.

"With this agreement, players will be able to relive the epic Bomberman experience with the latest technology provided by the PS2 and the unique features of the Nintendo DS^TM handheld console," said Yves Guillemot, President and CEO of Ubisoft. "We're excited to bring Ubisoft's publishing expertise to the continuing legacy of Bomberman's adventures."

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© 2005 HUDSON SOFT. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by UBISOFT Entertainment. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Bomberman/Bomberman Hardball are trademarks of and © 2005 HUDSON SOFT

© 2004 Nintendo. The Nintendo DS logo is a trademark of Nintendo.

and "PlayStation" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Hudson Soft Co., Ltd
Hudson Soft was established in 1973. It has used its advanced development expertise to market a wide range of products, including console and PC software, accessories, LSI, operating systems and other critical technologies. The company became an early first third party developer for Nintendo's NES, and Hudson has continued to provide a variety of game content to all game platforms since then. Representative titles include Bomberman, the popular board game Momotaro Dentetsu, and the epic RPG Tengai Makyo (Far East of Eden), among others. Hudson is actively involved in online game development (broadband operations) and mobile phone content development (mobile operations). In March of 2000, game-oriented content was launched for i-mode service. Following this, for EZweb and Vodafone live! services were also introduced. Our mobile operation is expanding at an incredible pace. The delivery service is ardently developed in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. For more information, visit our website at www.hudson.co.jp .

About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide. It is the fastest growing company in the videogame industry and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge videogame titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated revenue of € 508 million for the 2003–2004 fiscal year, an increase of 22.5% over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

• Go to the game information page for Bomberman DS (Nintendo DS).
• More information regarding Ubisoft, including games developed and published.
• View the listing of Nintendo DS press releases.