LOS ANGELES, CA - (May 11, 2004) – Vivendi Universal Games announced today the development of the latest action-packed project from the developer that created award-winning games like Aliens vs. Predator™2, the No One Lives Forever™ franchise and Tron®2.0. Developed by Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R. ™ (First Encounter Assault and Recon), is an intense first person close-quarters combat experience with rich atmosphere and an engaging storyline.

The story begins as an unidentified paramilitary force infiltrates a multi-billion dollar aerospace compound. The government responds by sending in Special Forces, but loses contact as an eerie signal interrupts radio communications. When the interference subsides moments later, the team has been literally torn apart. As part of a classified strike team created to deal with threats no one else can handle, your mission is simple: Eliminate the intruders at any cost. Determine the origin of the signal. And contain this crisis before it spirals out of control.

“We are excited about partnering with Monolith once again and especially the creative team directly involved on this project,” said Michael Pole, VU Games’ Executive Vice President of Worldwide Studios. “Without giving away too much, F.E.A.R. might be described as The Matrix meets The Ring and the team has set a goal to immerse the player in an intense blockbuster action movie experience - they are well on their way to delivering just that.”

In a North American exclusive, F.E.A.R is debuting on the G4 Network today – the eve of the gaming industry’s largest event, The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) - at 5:00pm PST/8:00pm EST during the half-hour Pre-E3 Show.

F.E.A.R. will be available in 2005 for the PC with an expected ESRB “Mature” rating.

About Monolith Productions Inc.
Monolith Productions is one of North America's largest independent game development studios employing 130 people. Over the past 10 years, Monolith has risen to critical acclaim through an emphasis on delivering quality products such as the No One Lives Forever franchise and Tron 2.0. Monolith's currently has four products in development, including The Matrix Online which is scheduled for release later this year.

About Vivendi Universal Games
Headquartered in Los Angeles, VU Games is a global developer, publisher and distributor of interactive products for all major platforms including PCs, video game consoles and the Internet. VU Games development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Coktel, Fox Interactive, Knowledge Adventure and Massive Entertainment. Additionally, VU Games co-publishes and/or distributes titles for a number of strategic partners, including Interplay, inXile entertainment, Majesco and Mythic Entertainment.