Sega shines light on Shadow

Action-platformer from the Sonic the Hedgehog series features new lead character; dark, unique story

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (March 23, 2005) – SEGA® of America and SEGA® Europe Ltd, today officially announced Shadow The Hedgehog^TM, an exciting new spin-off from SEGA's best-selling Sonic The Hedgehog^TM series. The SEGA title is currently in development at SEGA Studio USA, under the direction of Takashi Iizuka, lead developer of Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2/ Battle, and Sonic Heroes.

Shadow The Hedgehog allows players to collect an arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and objects to rocket through more than 50 unique missions. In his feature debut, Shadow is tormented by a dark past, struggling to discover his true identity. He is caught in a complex battle between aliens, the G.U.N. army, and Dr. Eggman, and discovers that he may be the very element that will tip the scales between good and evil forever.

"Since we first introduced him in Sonic Adventure 2, we have wanted to feature Shadow in his own game," said Takashi Iizuka, Game Director, SEGA Studio USA. "We maintained Shadow as a mysterious character and now fans can control his destiny by engaging in a unique gameplay experience that offers a multitude of possibilities!"

"The Sonic franchise has sold more than 38-million units worldwide and SEGA plans to support this new brand with a complimentary lineup of new Sonic products across all platforms in 2005," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "We expect Shadow The Hedgehog to be a cornerstone title in this strategy as well as a new and dynamic brand for SEGA."

Is he an android created by Dr. Eggman? Is he the original Shadow simply suffering from amnesia? Or is there an even more sinister explanation? Now, gamers will decide in a race against time by choosing between any number of routes by which to unveil the secrets of his past. Multiple endings will reflect critical decisions at every stage of the game. Gamers have ultimate control over Shadow's past, with the potential to rewrite his history time and time again.

Since his debut in Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), Shadow The Hedgehog has appeared in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (2002), Sonic Heroes (2003), and the massively popular Sonic X animated series. SEGA plans to release Shadow The Hedgehog on all current generation console platforms in Winter 2005. For screenshots and artwork for this title, visit the SEGA FTP site at: http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

About SEGA Europe
SEGA Europe Ltd. is the European Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe's web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

About SEGA of America
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.SEGA.com.

SEGA, the SEGA logo, Shadow The Hedgehog, and Sonic The Hedgehog are trademarks or registered trademarks of SEGA Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Original Game © SEGA © SONICTEAM/SEGA, 2003/2004.

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