Sega Dreamcast Video Game Tour to Mobilize Millions of Consumers With Demos, Game Competition; Sega Partners with IGN.com to Introduce Sega Dreamcast to the Masses

Business Wire, August 9, 1999

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 1999--

Sega(R) of America announced today it will deploy the world's most advanced gaming machine, Sega Dreamcast(TM), on a nationwide "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" giving consumers hands-on experience with the highly-anticipated video game system before it launches in North America on September 9.

The 22-week "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" starts August 23 and hits more than 200 high-traffic locations in major U.S. cities, including the MTV(R) Video Music Awards in New York. The tour vehicles "assault" all the senses, from their massive size, military design and high-performance sound systems, to the 16 Sega Dreamcast demonstration units available for the public to play. More than 50 million consumers will see, hear or play Sega Dreamcast on the national "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour."

Partnering with Sega on the tour is IGN.com, the leading Internet destination for games and entertainment information. Each month, several million visitors get the latest in gaming, entertainment, science fiction and popular culture news, reviews and information from IGN.com's eight in-house Web sites and more than 50 affiliate sites.

IGN.com will host the "Sega Dreamcast Championships" game competition throughout the tour, giving local contestants a chance to compete in the championship round for up to $15,000. IGN.com also will publish the "Official Mobile Assault Tour Web Site" at www.ign.com/assaulttour, featuring tour highlights and details on upcoming locations.

"It's difficult to fully understand how revolutionary Sega Dreamcast is unless you actually play the games. The difference is something you feel, not something you read about in technical specs on paper," said Peter Moore, senior vice president of marketing, Sega of America. "This tour gives us a chance to reach the hard-core gamer while casting our net over the mass market target to cut right into our competitors' customer base."

The "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" is part of a $100 million Sega Dreamcast marketing campaign targeting the hard-core gaming audience and the mass market gaming enthusiast simultaneously.

Mobile Assault Tour

The "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" vehicles were custom-designed to be able to invade almost any mass consumer location. Local market attacks begin with the arrival of the six-ton, 46-foot "assault" truck. When the truck's back hatch is opened, two all-terrain vehicles drive out, each hosting four Sega Dreamcast game systems. Four game systems remain inside the assault truck for the gaming competition, while four additional free-standing units will be set up outside the carrier.

Consumers waiting to play Sega Dreamcast can get a personal preview using Interactive Optic helmets showing game highlights. They can also log onto PCs to sample a variety of entertainment information on IGN.com.

Two sets of "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" vehicles will be deployed at the same time to maximize exposure during the crucial pre-launch build-up and holiday sales season. The tour will stop in 39 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. Consumers will find tour vehicles in popular public venues, including skateboard parks, shopping malls, beaches, sporting events, theaters and concerts.

A list of tour cities and dates for August and September is attached; tour details and photos also will be posted on Sega's web site at www.sega.com, at www.ign.com/assaulttour and on www.IGN.com and its affiliate sites.

The "Sega Dreamcast Championships" will pit local gamers against each other playing "Sonic Adventure(TM)," featuring Sega's impetuous, indigo mascot in the fastest 3D action/adventure game ever developed. Four gamers with the top scores throughout the tour win a free trip to Las Vegas in January 2000 to compete for the championship title and the $15,000 grand prize. The three runner-up prizes are $5,000, $2,500 and a collection of Sega-branded merchandise, respectively. The finals will be held at the Las Vegas Sega GameWorks entertainment center.

"This nationwide tour will provide a tremendous opportunity for people to personally experience the exhilaration that Sega Dreamcast brings to gaming," said Simon Whitcombe, network director of IGN.com. "We'll bring part of this tour excitement to the millions of loyal visitors who come to our Web site."

In addition to coverage on IGN.com, the tour will be promoted through ongoing news reports and local radio contests.

Sega Dreamcast Marketing

The Sega Dreamcast $100 million marketing campaign breaks beyond traditional mediums with innovative programs emphasizing product trial and comprehensive integration into the target consumers' lives. In addition to the tour, Sega is giving gamers another opportunity for hands-on interaction with Sega Dreamcast through an exclusive pre-launch rental program with Hollywood Video from July 15 to September 9.

The introductory "tease" phase of the Sega Dreamcast ad campaign is currently running in national print and on TV. The campaign will expand leading up to Sega's full sponsorship of the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, reaching an estimated 22 million consumers the day Sega Dreamcast launches in the United States. Sega is also partnering with Pepsi on its "Hot Topics(TM)" in-theater lifestyle newsreels which feature Sega Dreamcast news and game highlights on 11,000 movie screens across the country this summer.