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Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International to distribute “Die Hard” GameCube, from Bits Studios, in Europe

Fans of the Die Hard movies can Yippie Ky-Yay for joy as Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Intl announces that the forthcoming Die Hard title, under license from Fox Interactive, has been signed with UK developers Bits Studios. The first-person action adventure is due for release during 2002.

Die Hard Game Cube (working title) is a first-person shooter unlike any other. Featuring an original plot set a few years after the events in Die Hard: With A Vengeance, players will battle through several distinct locations – including a return to the original Nakatomi Plaza, now completely finished – and encounter a host of unique and inventive set pieces designed to bring the Die Hard world vividly tolife.

Die Hard Game Cube will further the genre with powerful cinematic effects. In terms of plot, it is way ahead of anything in development, with its narrative twisting and turning to an explosive conclusion. Non-player characters populate the game world and play an integral part to the adventure, as McClane battles to find allies among a world of adversaries.

McClane himself is blessed with a huge array of moves. From stealthily capturing terrorists and forcing enemies to disarm, to running into team fights with guns blazing and saving hostages he’s the very definition of action hero. As the game is being specifically designed for Game Cube, the controls are being implemented with console gamers in mind.

Furthermore, like the films, Die Hard Game Cube will feature moments of sheer exhilaration combined with situations which demand extreme stealth – all handled with a seamless control method designed to let the player combat the opposition, not wrestle with the joypad.

Die Hard Game Cube really pushes first-person action adventure genre into new ground and aims to set new standards by which all others will be judged.

About Bits Studios:
BITS Studios is one of Britain's leading games developers. With nearly 30 titles published over the United States, Europe and Asia on multiple platforms such as Nintendo's Game Boy Color, Game Boy, Super Nintendo & NES, Sega's Mega-Drive, Genesis, 32X, Game-Gear & Master System, PC & Online over BITS's 15-year experience in the games industry. It is currently developing titles for next generation consoles, including Xbox, Playstation 2, Game Cube & Game Boy Advance.

About Vivendi Universal Publishing
Vivendi Universal Publishing is the publishing activity of Vivendi Universal, the second-largest communications group in the world. Vivendi Universal Publishing is a global publisher of consumer content across all platforms. The company holds leading positions on two key markets: education/literature and games. It is the No. 2 worldwide in education and the No. 2 worldwide in PC & Mac games as well as being one of world leaders in online games. The company is also an important player in France in news and economic information. Its Games division with its well-known studios Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra and Universal Interactive, and on-line gaming site the Flipside Network, offers consumers off-line and on-line games across all platforms (PC, console, internet, etc.). In 2000, VU Publishing achieved 3,6 billion euros in pro-forma revenues of which 46% were outside of France. Vivendi Universal Publishing aims to be the leader in consumer publishing in all high potential language areas.

VU Interactive Publishing Intl is the worldwide sales, marketing, localization and logistics entity for VU Publishing’s Games and Education software for Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. Located in Meudon (France), it is headed by Christophe Ramboz.