THE GAME IS UP – AS COPS AND ROBBERS TAKE TO THE STREETS!

London, 22nd September 2006 - The game is up - but not for long, as Xbox launches its new brand TV and cinema advertising campaign - 'Cops and Robbers'.

'Cops and Robbers', created by McCann Erickson, San Francisco and directed by rising Australian director, Garth Davis, features three 'robbers' wearing ski masks running away from 'cops', holding what looks like a bag of stolen goods. They try to evade the cops by scaling the rooftops of buildings, taking desperate, gravity-defying leaps from buildings to window ledges and into a waiting getaway car. A car chase ensues but eventually it's all over as the cops 'win' and close in on the 'robbers'. But there's a twist to the story as the chase is revealed to be just a mischievous game of 'cops and robbers' amongst friends who immediately start the countdown to begin another game.

The ad - a 60 second and a 30 second spot - will be shown across TV and Cinema screens throughout Europe from 23rd September through to the Christmas period. Filmed on location in Bucharest, the 'cops and robbers' spot sees real-life action with fabulous stunt car chases and Parkour athletes putting in elegant and jaw-dropping performances. One 'robber' is played by French stuntman, martial artist & movie star Cyrille Rafaelli, who has worked in films with directors such as Luc Besson and starred in breakout Parkour movie Banlieu 13. Cyrille carries out the daring roof-top stunt as the 'robbers' attempt to get away from the 'cops'. The other 'robber', Ilya, a rising star in Cyrille's famous Parkour troop does the window ledge stunt.

"We wanted to show how Xbox 360 lets you play in unexpected, new ways and remind us of how we feel when we're really having fun with our friends," said Richard Teversham, EMEA Director of Marketing and Platform at Xbox. "This campaign really brings out the sociability of Xbox 360 and taps into the playfulness that we all have in us. With Xbox 360 you get all the exhilaration and emotion that a simple game of Cops and Robbers inspires - but now that fun's evolved into high definition, next generation fun backed up with a fantastic array of more than 160 games to play by the end of the year"

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About Garth Davis:

Garth Davis is one of Australia's most awarded and most sought after young directors. His first short film, a social realist drama titled 'ALICE', won the Dendy Award at the Sydney International Film Festival, and audience choice award at Flickerfest, Sydney. His combined success of both commercials and drama, led him to win the 2004 Lexus IF Award for Rising Talent. Garth Davis is known for his obsessive commitment, cinematic sensibilities and his deep appreciation of the actor director relationship. An honours graduate from Swinburne School of Design, Garth spent a year at leading design firm Emery Vincent and Associates, then went on to form a collaborative experimental design company called Trampoline. He later joined Exit Films to explore the film medium, assisting director Henrik Dannerfjord for a year, before taking a year overseas to focus on film-making, fine arts, and life experiences.

About Xbox Live

Xbox Live is the first and only unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox Live connects millions of members across 24 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox Live Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, and movie trailers, as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming service, and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. The system was first launched in North America, Europe and Japan in 2005 and then in Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan in 2006. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.