Thief II: The Metal Age Sneaks Into Stores Today!; Eidos Interactive Ships Highly Touted Sequel That Rewards Stealth Over Slaughter

Business Wire, March 23, 2000

Business Editors/Technology Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2000

Thief II: The Metal Age, the highly-anticipated sequel to Looking Glass Studio's critically-acclaimed Thief: The Dark Project, sneaks into stores starting today for PC-CD from publisher Eidos Interactive. The original won many awards including PC Gamer and Computer Gaming World's Editors' Choice awards. This new first-person 3D action adventure expands on the successful elements of the original and improves gameplay by incorporating ground-breaking enhancements, including improved artificial intelligence, technical upgrades, and all new back-story content.

In Thief II: The Metal Age, players once again assume the role of Garrett, a cynical, world-weary master thief living in an ancient city where magic and primitive technology uneasily coexist. Garrett, who never met an object he couldn't grab, must elude the newly-elected Sheriff Gorman Truart who pursues our "hero" with an Ahab-like intensity. While Truart sweeps the streets of the poor and indigent, his large cadre of corrupt guards chase Garrett with a directive to bring him down permanently. The player's mission is to keep Garrett alive long enough to discover the true reasons behind the sheriff's vendetta.

Many diverse missions are included, all focused on the core gameplay of the innovative original "first person sneaker." Players will jump from rooftop to rooftop, eavesdrop on conversations, break into a high security bank vault, and face a variety of other challenges.

Technical enhancements including gorgeous high color textures, colored lighting, and variable translucency make Thief II even more visually stunning than the original. Graphical and gameplay enhancements include weather effects such as fog, rain, and snow. Garrett's new tools of the trade include a remote camera for scouting out areas before moving in, new potions to safely drop down high walls, and new arrows to create a route back up to the top.

"We are pleased to continue the strong partnership we have with Looking Glass Studios," said Rob Dyer, President of Eidos Interactive. "They are one of the most consistent developers of quality titles in the entertainment software field and Thief II exceeds our high expectations. This is a great follow up to an amazing original franchise."

Eidos Interactive, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment products for the PC, PlayStation(R) game console, Sega Dreamcast(tm), and Nintendo(R) Game Boy(R) Color. Eidos Interactive is part of London-based Eidos plc (NASDAQ: EIDSY) with additional offices in San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, and Tokyo. For more information on Eidos Interactive's product line visit http://www.eidos.com.