Nope! Some of you who have been involved in the Half-Life scene for
a long time may remember me, but most won't. I'm Mike and I started this
page way back last November, but my lazy self, as usual, stop updating.
BUT, I'm back! So stop calling this Dann's page, it's mine mine mine! Hehehe,
j/k. Oh, thanks to my friend Steve for motivating me to update again =D.
CONTACT
Genevieve Ostergard
425-649-9800 x5862
gostergard@sierra.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 1998
Sierra Studios Announces Strategic Partnerships for the OEM Release
of Half-Life: Day One Hot Action Title Appeals to Big Name Manufacturers
in the Game Industry
BELLEVUE, WA -- September 8, 1998 – Sierra Studios announced at
the ECTS trade show in London, England, that this week it is shipping Half-Life:
Day One to several leading hardware manufacturers to include with their
products in fourth quarter bundles. Half-Life: Day One is an abridged (250
MB) version of Valve’s eagerly anticipated first-person action game.
Half-Life, which is being developed by Valve, sparked strong
interest from a variety of potential OEM partners after being named "Best
PC Game" and "Best Action Game" at this year’s Electronic Entertainment
Expo. Half-Life is due to hit store shelves in late October, and is expected
to be one of the holiday’s hottest titles.
Half-Life: Day One gives players several hours of the single-player
Half-Life experience and was designed exclusively for OEM partnerships.
"Companies that make games-related hardware and accessories want their
customers to get a great experience right out of the box," said Scott Lynch,
senior vice president, Sierra Studios. "By bundling Half-Life: Day One,
OEMs are giving their customers the opportunity to play the hottest action
game of the year as soon as they install their new hardware."
"We’ve made a number of advances with Half-Life that make the 3D
action experience much more interesting and unpredictable," said Gabe Newell,
managing director of Valve. "For instance, unlike other action games, Half-Life
has a rich, complex plot that requires players to think smart to survive.
Half-Life: Day One is essentially the first several hours of the full game.
Our goal was to give players a fun experience that takes full advantage
of their new hardware, while also drawing them into the Half-Life story.
We’re confident that after playing Half-Life: Day One, gamers will want
to buy the full version at retail and experience the complete Half-Life
adventure."
The OEM deals will begin Fall 1998 for Half-Life: Day One. Confirmed
partners in the program include:
Diamond Multimedia, bundling Half-Life: Day One with their Monster
Sound MX300 sound card worldwide Guillemot International, bundling Half-Life:
Day One with their Maxi Gamer Phoenixä Voodoo Banshee Board worldwide
ThrustMaster, bundling Half-Life: Day One with their Frag Master Joystick
"The reaction to Half-Life: Day One from the OEM marketplace has
been overwhelming," said Dan Elvester director of Cendant OEM. " The demand
for program participation has exceeded expectations as other ‘OEMs’ are
accelerating their plans to take advantage of this pre-release edition
of Half-Life."
Half-Life introduces a revolutionary leap in 3D first-person games
by combining stunning technology enhancements with genre-breaking gameplay
elements. Gamers are given opportunities to wreak havoc--in true action-game
fashion--but they are also challenged to explore and strategize; for instance,
telling friend from foe is no longer a simple matter of humans vs. monsters.
Half-Life's strong story elements, advanced inventory system and story-integrated
challenges create an experience never before seen in traditional "run-and-gun"
action games. Both Half-Life and Half-Life: Day One feature support for
Open-GL and MMX hardware acceleration. The full version of Half-Life also
includes Internet multiplayer support for up to 32 players.
Founded in 1996, Valve develops games software. Based in Kirkland,
Washington, the company consists of more than 25 leading artists, game
designers, and programmers. More information about Valve is available through
the company's web site at www.valvesoftware.com.
Sierra Studios is a member of the Sierra family and a brand division
of its parent company Cendant Software. Cendant is the world’s premier
provider of consumer and business services. Cendant operates in three principal
segments: Alliance Marketing, Travel and Real Estate Services. Headquartered
in Parsippany, NJ, the company has more than 40,000 employees, operates
in over 100 countries and makes approximately 100 million customer contacts
annually.
