November 12, 2001 - Paris, France

For Immediate Release -
Category : Software/ Interactive 3D Development Software

Microsoft™ grants Xbox Tools and Middleware License to VIRTOOLS™ for Xbox Prototyping Tool.

Paris, November 12, 2001 - VIRTOOLS™, market leader in the world of interactive 3D development solutions, will integrate Xbox specificities to provide prototyping capabilities to the international games development community.

The Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft (http://www.xbox.com) is paving the way for the most powerful, creative games ever experienced. To fulfill Xbox game artists' technical and creative development needs, Microsoft has granted an Xbox Tools and Middleware license to Virtools for the production of their innovative technology -- a smooth and successful game prototyping kit for the Xbox development community.

Virtools' accessible yet powerful environment lets both designers and programmers produce games quickly and efficiently by graphically assembling "behavior building blocks" in an intuitive interface. By using Virtools, developers optimize workflow and capitalize on assets from one project to another, significantly accelerating the production cycle while reducing costs. Virtools solutions support industry-standard formats for 3D graphics, audio and video, to ensure efficient Xbox prototyping for elaborate graphics, refined game play and complex interactivity.

Drew Angeloff, Xbox Tools Program Manager at Microsoft, commented, "Virtools enables Xbox game developers to prototype in weeks rather than months - and concentrate on the quality of both graphics and game play. I'm delighted to welcome Virtools and look forward to the release of this excellent Xbox prototyping tool."

Bertrand Duplat, president and founder of Virtools, said, "We're very pleased to bring our powerful and unique solution to Xbox developers. Our technology is now widely used for prototyping and publishing commercially-successful games for the PC. Our contribution to the Xbox platform opens up new perspectives and is a very strategic move for us and the games development community."

Xbox will be available in North America on Nov. 15, 2001. The Virtools Xbox prototyping tool will be made available to game developers in January 2002.

About Virtools™ Dev 2.0
Virtools' revolutionary technology allows you to create interactive applications by graphically assembling "behaviors" in Dev 2.0's intuitive interface. Flexible and easy-to-use, Virtools' reusable "behavior building blocks" accelerate the production cycle and reduce production costs, maximizing return on investment. Use the "behavior library" or program your own behaviors in C++ with Virtools' Software Development Kit (SDK).


About Virtools™:
Founded in 1993, Virtools™ enables Global 2000 companies and their integrators, as well as game studios, to develop and deploy 3D applications with game-like interactivity. Costs and timeframes are kept under control through a scalable set of software and server-based solutions that reduce the risks associated with developing interactive applications.

Intel and France Telecom are among the growing number companies that have benefited from Virtools technology. Using Virtools, clients reduce development costs and increase interactivity. Virtools software is used by online and offline game development studios such as: Disney Imagineering, Havas Interactive, Acclaim, Microïds, and Terratools.

Contact us at Virtools S.A., 93, Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris, France. Telephone: +33 1 42 71 46 86.

About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft's future-generation video game system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever. Xbox empowers game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Xbox will be available in North America on November 15, 2001 at the suggested retail price of $299.99*.


Contacts:
Virtools
93, rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris
France
Tel: (+33) 1 42 71 46 86
Fax: (+33) 1 42 71 86 53
email: info@virtools.com


*Reseller prices may vary.
Xbox is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.