GT Interactive - Press News - Coming Soon Magazine

GT INTERACTIVE SHIPS MORE THAN 500,000 UNITS OF 'ODDWORLD: ABE'S ODDYSEE' FOR PLAYSTATION WORLDWIDE

Award-Winning Title Debuts in Five Different Languages Simultaneously

New York, NY, September 18, 1997 -- In one of its most significant product introductions to date, GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ: GTIS) is shipping more than 500,000 units of its new highly anticipated PlayStation title, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, to retailers worldwide. The game will be available in five different languages - English, French, German, Italian and Spanish -- simultaneously throughout the world.

Acclaimed for its visually gripping and immersive game-play experience -- dubbed A.L.I.V.E. (Aware Lifeforms In Virtual Entertainment) -- Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is the first of five titles developed by Oddworld Inhabitants that is available tomorrow for the Sony PlayStation, and later this fall for personal computers. GT Interactive is supporting the title with a multi-tiered $10 million global marketing program that includes a national television campaign airing now and through the holiday season; extensive print advertising; full Internet support; pre-sell, point-of-purchase and direct mail retailer initiatives; and cross-promotions with Sony and MTV.

"With our launch of Abe's Oddysee not only are we introducing a ground-breaking game, but we are building the foundation for a flagship GT Interactive global entertainment franchise," said Ron Chaimowitz, president and chief executive officer of GT Interactive. "The size and scope of our marketing campaign reflects our commitment to this first title and to growing the Oddworld universe of properties as well, as we continue to expand our portfolio of original entertainment software products."

"Since Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is our first title, it is certainly satisfying to see the overwhelmingly positive response it has received from both consumers and press alike," said Sherry McKenna, chief executive officer for Oddworld Inhabitants. "We are pleased to introduce Abe and bring the world a dynamic, new game-play experience."

Last year GT Interactive acquired a 50 percent equity interest in CA-based Oddworld Inhabitants, which provided GT with exclusive global publishing rights to Oddworld software titles for all media, including PC, consoles, print, merchandising and online vehicles. More information on GT Interactive's new Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee for PlayStation and Windows 95 can been found online at https://www.oddworld.com.

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Oddworld Inhabitants was co-founded by award-winning producer Sherry McKenna and high-end visual-effects supervisor Lorne Lanning. Both have extensive experience in the ground-breaking application of computer-generated images (CGI) in film, commercials and theme park rides having worked together at Hollywood-based Rhythm & Hues Studios. Oddworld creates "A.L.I.V.E." games that marry life-like character motion with intuitive controller interfaces inside highly rendered backgrounds.

Headquartered in NY, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading global publisher of entertainment and edutainment software under the GT Interactive and Cavedog Entertainment brands for personal computers as well as video game systems from Sony, Nintendo and Sega. MacSoft is the company's industry-leading Macintosh software brand. GT Interactive is also a leader in value-priced software under the WizardWorks, CompuWorks and Slash brands. GT Interactive is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol GTIS.

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