SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- May 16, 2002 -- "Begun, the Clone War has." -- Jedi Master Yoda

LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC, in conjunction with Pandemic Studios LLC, will bring Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a ground and air-based combat action game inspired by and expanding upon one of the Star Wars galaxy's most dramatic and intensely fought conflicts, to Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, to be published and distributed by LucasArts and developed by Pandemic Studios, is expected to release on both platforms in fall 2002.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars immerses players into the role of Jedi hero to lead a clone army from the Republic against the menacing offensive threat of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Under the leadership of the insidious Count Dooku, countless armies of Confederacy droids have swarmed every star system, sowing chaos and destruction across Republic worlds. To combat this threat the Republic has deployed a massive army of clones, led by one of three player-controlled Jedi: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi or Mace Windu. Their goal is to thwart the Confederacy from reassembling an ancient Sith weapon of mass destruction. That mandate places the fate of the Republic in the hands of players, who must command their forces through 16 dramatic campaigns spanning six immense Star Wars worlds, from the desolate, ice-covered ruins of Rhen Var and war-torn plains of Geonosis, to the towering treetop cities of the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars features innovative and well-detailed single and multiplayer campaigns coupled with a unique blend of non-stop action. The game will incorporate popular characters and various familiar vehicles and settings from Star Wars: Episode II. While the game's primary focus is on high-intensity engagement, defined combat roles for each vehicle will add a distinctive dimension. Upon meeting certain objectives, players can change vehicles during battle and pilot an array of units from the arsenal of the Republic, including a speeder bike, AT-SX assault walker, fighter tank, and Republic gunship. In all, players engage more than 30 unique combat units.

"LucasArts has been keen to work with Pandemic ever since the first version of Battlezone, which perfectly combined action and strategy with a tremendous graphics engine," says Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "The high level of quality and sophistication they've brought to previous projects, combined with the Clone War, one of the most epic events in Star Wars, will undoubtedly result in an exhilarating game that will meet, if not exceed, the expectations of players and fans alike."

"The Clone War was first mentioned in the film Star Wars: A New Hope, and though few details were revealed the conflict has continued to intrigue fans over the years," says Josh Resnick, president of Pandemic Studios. "On the eve of the premiere of Star Wars: Episode II, we now know that the Clone War was one of the largest and most pivotal events in the history of Star Wars. Pandemic's vast experience in developing large-scale military combat action games is ideally suited to recreating that legendary war for an interactive medium, and will enable players to experience all its intensity first-hand."

Star Wars: The Clone Wars features several unique multiplayer games, including Duel, King of the Hill, Conquest, and others. Duel presents a standard deathmatch scenario with various units from the game. In King of the Hill players attempt to earn points by staying in the "control zone" for as long as possible. Conquest is a unique blend of action and strategy that challenges two teams try to destroy each other's home base. In between the teams' home bases are outposts either player can capture. When an outpost is taken, it will automatically produce defensive laser turrets and offensive AI units for that team. Multiplayer support allows for between two and four players on GameCube and two-player split-screen mode on PlayStation 2.

About LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC is a leading international developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for a variety of computer and console platforms. Based in San Rafael, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts is one of four companies in the Lucas group which include Lucasfilm Ltd., Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC, and Lucas Licensing Ltd. Lucasfilm is one of the leading film and entertainment companies in the world. Lucasfilm's businesses include George Lucas' film and television production and distribution activities as well as the business activities of the THX Group. Lucas Digital, which consists of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, provides visual effects and audio post-production services to the entertainment industry. Lucas Licensing is responsible for the merchandising of all Lucasfilm's film and television properties

About Pandemic Studios
Pandemic Studios, LLC is a premier developer of interactive entertainment software for Playstation 2, Xbox™, GameCube, and the PC. This year Pandemic has completed Triple Play Baseball™ for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and Army Men® RTS for PlayStation 2 and PC. These add to a growing list of releases that include sequels to the best-selling, award winning action-strategy titles Battlezone® and Dark Reign™. Pandemic is in the midst of production on several high profile games for leading publishers, including Electronic Arts, the US Army and LucasArts. Pandemic is a privately held company with development studios in Santa Monica, California, and Brisbane, Australia. To learn more about the company and its products, please visit www.pandemicstudios.com.

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