Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc, is pleased to announce the creation of a major new joint book development agreement with Microsoft's Xbox(TM) video game system to create a fiction publishing program. The titles will be published by Ballantine's Del Rey imprint. Under this agreement, Del Rey has acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to publish paperback, hardcover, audio and electronic books based on Xbox game titles developed by Microsoft Game Studios. Del Rey is best known for its leadership in the field of science fiction/fantasy publishing. The imprint's impressive roster of authors includes Greg Bear, Ray Bradbury, Terry Brooks, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, David Eddings, Laurell K. Hamilton, Anne McCaffrey, R.A. Salvatore, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Harry Turtledove, among others. Del Rey has also begun to make a strong foray into the area of media tie-ins and licensed properties; its most successful program to date has been the creation of a line of New York Times best-selling original fiction based upon the world-famous ``Star Wars�'' galaxy. Del Rey will also soon release the official book tie-ins for the upcoming film ``Spider-Man.''