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.
