LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2002--ZIO Interactive, Inc, the world's leading provider of handheld games, today announced it will develop and publish games based on Microsoft's(R) best-selling real-time strategy game, "Age of Empires(R)" for the Pocket PC platform.

Produced by Paul Neurath, the well-known game designer of Ultima Underworld, the Pocket PC version of "Age of Empires" will challenge players to command ancient civilizations in a quest to build the ultimate empire.

"The handheld device category is growing fast, so the time is right to introduce new, feature-rich games for the Pocket PC platform," said ZIO Interactive CEO Peter Kim. "ZIO Interactive is bringing the world's best-selling PC games to handheld devices, providing a compelling gaming experience across multiple platforms."

"The 'Age of Empires' franchise has already captivated millions of real-time strategy game players and Microsoft is eager to expand the 'Age' franchise to growing platforms like Pocket PC," said Ed Ventura, director of business development at Microsoft.

ZIO Interactive plans to release "Age of Empires" for Pocket PC in late 2002 and will debut the software at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles in the ZIOSoft booth: West Hall #3000. Initially the game will be available online for an MSRP of $29.95, and a retail version will be available shortly thereafter. The game is expected to carry an ESRB rating of "T" for "Teen."

ZIO Interactive also plans to launch versions of "FIFA 2002," "Tiger Woods PGA TOUR" and "Ultima Underworld" for the Pocket PC platform this year.

ZIO Interactive is a leading publisher and developer of games for PDA's utilizing the Pocket PC and Palm OS, as well as Java Virtual Machine, GVM, BREW and WAP for wireless handsets. Based in Seoul, South Korea, the company predicts $10 million in revenue for fiscal 2002.

ZIOSoft, Inc., the American publishing arm of ZIO Interactive, Inc., aims to be the number one publisher of gaming software for the Pocket PC and Palm OS in North America. ZIOSoft, Inc. was incorporated in April 2000 and is 100% owned by ZIO Interactive.

Microsoft and Age of Empires are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries/regions and are used under license. Ultima Underworld, FIFA 2002, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.