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Sierra
Entertainment To Use Popular Xfire Gaming Platform in
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Xfire To
Enhance Player-to-Player Communication in Sierra’s RTS Expansion Pack
MENLO PARK, CA – FEBRUARY 24, 2006 – Xfire, Inc., the most complete, all-in-one PC
gaming application in the world, and Sierra®
Entertainment have agreed to incorporate the Xfire online gaming
platform into Empire Earth® II: The Art
of Supremacy, the first expansion pack to 2005’s award winning RTS, Empire Earth II. Implementing Xfire’s technology alongside Empire Earth II: The
Art of Supremacy will provide players a more complete online gaming
experience using Xfire’s unique friend tracking, in-game messaging, and group
voice communication features.
Under the agreement, the
Xfire application will be bundled with the retail version of Empire Earth II: The
Art of Supremacy. Using Xfire, Empire Earth II players can keep track
of when their friends are online, send and receive messages while playing
games, and also communicate with one another using Xfire’s group voice chat
feature.
Empire Earth II: The Art of
Supremacy
returns gamers to the front lines of the greatest battles in history with new
civilizations at their command, new campaigns and a host of new features. The game is now available at retailers
worldwide.
“The competitive online play
in Empire Earth II: The
Art of Supremacy stands above the rest,” said Peter Della Penna, Executive
Vice President and COO, World Studios for Vivendi Universal Games. “It would
have been impossible to create the same experience without the seamless in-game
messaging and group chat features that Xfire delivers.”
Xfire CEO
Xfire also makes online
gaming easier for users by showing them when their friends are online, revealing
what games their friends are playing, and enabling them to join their friends
with one click. Xfire is also the only
instant-messaging application that allows users to send and receive messages
while playing many PC games without having to minimize or Alt-tab out of the
game. Other Xfire features include file
downloads, stats tracking, and voice chat.
To download
Xfire for free please visit www.xfire.com.
About Xfire
Xfire, Inc. is the fastest
growing online gaming platform and community in the world. Xfire helps gamers play with their friends
much more easily. Xfire is also a server browser, IM, and file download system
designed just for gamers. Xfire has over three million members in over 100
countries. Company management includes
Mike Cassidy (former CEO of Direct Hit), Chris Kirmse (creator of
About Empire Earth
Empire Earth
is the million-selling strategy game series that gives players complete control
over all of human history and beyond. Empire
Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, the expansion for
the award-winning Empire Earth II,
arrives
About Vivendi Universal Games
Vivendi Universal Games (www.vugames.com) is a global
developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive
entertainment. The company is a leader in the subscription-based massively
multi-player online (MMO) games category, holds leading positions in the PC,
console and handheld games markets, and is an emerging player in mobile and
wireless games. Its development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard
Entertainment®, Radical Entertainment, Sierra® Entertainment, Massive
Entertainment™, Swordfish Studios and High Moon Studios. VU Games’ library of
over 700 titles features owned intellectual properties including Warcraft®,
StarCraft®, Diablo® and World of Warcraft™
from Blizzard Entertainment; Crash Bandicoot®, Spyro The
Dragon®, Empire Earth®, Leisure Suit Larry™,
and Ground Control®. VU Games also maintains strategic
relationships with industry leading content partners, including Universal Music
Group, NBC Universal, Twentieth Century Fox and Ludlum Entertainment.