Bethesda Softworks Announces Its Return to First-Person Shooters with Rogue Warrior™

October 27, 2006 (Rockville, MD) - Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced its plans to publish Rogue Warrior, an authentic, tactical first-person shooter based on the best-selling book series by Richard (Dick) Marcinko, former U.S. Navy SEAL and founder of both SEAL Team Six and Red Cell. Rogue Warrior is being developed for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows by Zombie Studios in conjunction with Bethesda Softworks. Rogue Warrior is scheduled for a fall 2007 release.

"We are very excited to be working on Rogue Warrior, which allows us the chance to bring Bethesda's creative vision and development expertise to this brand," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "This game marks our return to shooters since our highly successful Terminator series, and we hope to offer fans a true next-generation gameplay experience."

Rogue Warrior is a story-driven shooter that provides team-based tactical combat set in massive, contiguous levels using Unreal 3 streaming technology. Central to the game's single and multiplayer experience is the idea of a freeform battlefield, where players are given the freedom to choose how to complete a given objective, allowing for creativity and surprises, rather than heavily scripted events and tightly contained spaces traditionally used in this genre.

An advanced AI system allows NPCs to react and fight realistically, see and hear others, and respond as a team. Rogue Warrior offers a new take on the multiplayer experience, with 10 gameplay modes and a system whereby maps are created using tiles that are selected by each team. Rogue Warrior's tiling system allows users to experience over 200 maps in both day and nighttime settings. In addition, the campaign features solo and on-the-fly cooperative play for up to four players, where anyone can join or leave an existing campaign game at any time without having to go to menus or save progress.

"Rogue Warrior is the game we've been waiting to make for years," said Mark Long, lead producer at Zombie Studios. "We're using terrific technology in a way that's different from other games - we have a unique HUD and control system for your teammates, on-the-fly co-op play, and we've really focused our efforts on making multiplayer more fun and challenging by giving you lots of modes and hundreds of maps you can see and play. We're thrilled to be working with Bethesda on this new initiative using a brand we know and love."

In Rogue Warrior, you play Dick Marcinko, leader of an elite SEAL unit trapped behind enemy lines in North Korea on a covert mission to assess the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear arsenal. When war breaks out between North and South Korea, you must try to lead your team back into South Korea while greatly outnumbered and with no support and limited resupply. Your journey will take you through a variety of never-before-seen environments inside of North Korea, including submarine pens, shipbreaker yards, prison camps, and more.

A 30-year veteran with the U.S. Navy, Dick Marcinko served in both the Underwater Demolitions Team and Navy SEAL programs, was a military attache in Cambodia, and conceived, founded, and commanded SEAL Team Six, the U.S. Navy's first counterterrorism unit. He later created and ran Red Cell, a unit created to test the Navy's anti-terrorist capabilities for highly-secured bases, nuclear submarines, ships, and other purported "secure areas", including Air Force One. Dick's experiences as a Navy SEAL were captured in his New York Times best-selling autobiography, Rogue Warrior, and his Rogue Warrior fiction series.

"I think this game has a lot going for it and I'm very excited to be a part of it," said Marcinko. "You have input from my SEALs and me on everything from animations to equipment to artificial intelligence to tactics to ensure accuracy of the gameplay, plus a story that has lots of relevance with the current events in North Korea, and the expertise in making great games that comes from Bethesda and ZombieI think it's going to take names like only a SEAL can."

About Bethesda Softworks®

Headquartered in Rockville, MD, Bethesda Softworks LLC, a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media Inc., is a premier developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software and has produced numerous award-winning titles, most recently with The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion and the 2002 PC and Xbox® Game of the Year and RPG of the Year, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrrowind®. Among Bethesda's more popular franchises are The Elder Scrolls® series and Fallout®, as well as its licensed properties like the recently released Star Trek® and Pirates of the Caribbean games. Its product line spans the sports, racing, RPG, strategy, and action genres. For more information on Bethesda Softworks' products, visit www.bethsoft.com.

About Zombie Inc.

Seattle based Zombie Studios is an independent developer of console, PC, mobile and web-based games. Founded in 1994, Zombie has designed and produced more than 23 original titles for worldwide distribution on virtually every major platform - from SEGA Genesis to Xbox360 and PLAYSTATION®3 system. Zombie specializes in military first person shooters including America's Army, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, Delta Force: Task Force Dagger and Rainbow Six: Covert Ops.

Rogue Warrior ®2006 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. Distributed under license from Richard Marcinko Inc. Developed in association with Zombie Inc. Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Rogue Warrior is a registered trademark or trademark of Richard Marcinko Inc. "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. This title is not yet concept approved by Sony Computer Entertainment America. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, the Xbox logos, and the Xbox Live logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other product and company names referenced herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.