`City of Heroes' Leaps Tall Buildings; NCsoft's and Cryptic Studios' Comic Book-Inspired Game Reaching Smash Hit Status; User-Base at 180,000 and Growing

Business Wire, August 2, 2004

AUSTIN, Texas -- Faster than you can unleash an energy torrent on a Clockwork Knight, "City of Heroes" has positioned itself as one of the fastest-selling massively multiplayer games of all time in North America. The comic book-inspired game from San Jose-based Cryptic Studios is raising more than a few eyebrows with some amazing numbers both at retail stores in North America and with its current subscriber base.

In three months, "City of Heroes" has reached 180,000 active users and continues to grow. And for the third straight month, it's topping retail sales charts.

According to June retail numbers from The NPD Group, "City of Heroes" is the top-selling PC game in North America and has been in that position since April. "It's an amazing run by `City of Heroes,'" says Brian Woods, executive vice president and general merchandise manager at CompUSA. "The numbers are among the best we've ever seen for a massively multiplayer online game."

Just as amazing is "City of Heroes'" active subscriber numbers. The game launched on April 28 and already has reached a total of 180,000 active users. "We're very proud of the growth of `City of Heroes' and we'd like to thank all our customers for making it such a huge success," says NCsoft North America President Robert Garriott. "At this point, the game has yet to be launched in Asia or Europe, so these numbers are just from our North American service and we find that especially gratifying."

"City of Heroes" is scheduled for release by NCsoft's recently formed European subsidiary later this year.

The game has received resounding applause from game critics. Computer Gaming World called "City of Heroes" "The Best Online RPG Yet!" in its August issue. Game Informer described "City of Heroes" as, "a super-charged helping of awesome." Rolling Stone exclaimed, "If you've got a taste for killer apps, this game's for you."

"City of Heroes" is available at most major North American computer game retail outlets at a suggested retail price of US$49.99, which includes the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US$14.95. Sixty-day game time cards are available at many North American retailers for a suggested retail price of US$29.99. The game is rated Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

More information about "City of Heroes" is available at http://www.cityofheroes.com.

About NCsoft -- North America

NCsoft -- North America (NC-NA) is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NC-NA has development and administrative offices in Texas and California. The company also works with NCsoft subsidiaries and third-party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. More information about NCsoft -- North America can be found at http://www.PlayNC.com.

About Cryptic Studios

Cryptic Studios Inc., located in San Jose, Calif., was established in July of 2000 and is an independent developer of massively multiplayer online games for the PC and next-generation consoles. Its first game, "City of Heroes," launched in April 2004. The game takes place in a virtual world where thousands of people play simultaneously, take on the role of super-powered heroes, fight villains and help create a dynamic story in a visually stunning, 3-D graphical world.

About CompUSA

CompUSA Inc. is one of the nation's leading retailers and resellers of technology products and services. CompUSA now offers its customers a complete lifestyle solution with the recent addition of a digital entertainment department, blending its expertise in technology and home entertainment for a one-stop solution. CompUSA currently operates 226 CompUSA Superstores in over 90 major metropolitan markets across the United States and Puerto Rico that serve retail, small-to-medium businesses, corporate, government and education customers and includes technical service departments. Many of the stores include classroom-training facilities. CompUSA also operates a Web site that offers an assortment of over 120,000 items at www.compusa.com.

NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. "City of Heroes" is a trademark of Cryptic Studios Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic is a trademark of Cryptic Studios Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.