Microsoft smells What the Rock is Cooking

LAS VEGAS, NV, - January 6, 2001 - With help from Bill Gates and The Rock, THQ Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: THQI) and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: JAKK) today announced that the newest World Wrestling Federation (WWFE) licensed video game, WWF Raw Is War, is scheduled to be among the first wave of launch titles for the Xbox video game console. The announcement came at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) during the keynote address of Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Bill Gates.

World Wrestling Federation superstar, The Rock, was also on hand to deliver the news. Set to release in the Fall of 2001, WWF Raw Is War will feature graphics and gameplay never before possible with other game consoles.

“We’re delighted to bring the proven World Wrestling Federation franchise to Xbox and very happy to work with Microsoft,” stated Brian Farrell, president and CEO, THQ. “WWF Raw Is War will absolutely shine on this exciting new platform. The hard drive capabilities, alone, will open up some very interesting options for us to explore.”

"We strongly believe that Xbox will be an excellent platform for the WWF Raw Is War video game and we’re excited to bring the most up to date capabilities to WWF fans worldwide,” stated Stephen Berman, president and COO, JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

"THQ and JAKKS have continually proven their ability to create authentic WWF entertainment on the top gaming platforms,” said Stuart Snyder, president and COO, WWFE. "We expect WWF Raw Is War for Xbox to continue that tradition.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased that WWF Raw Is War is being created specifically to take advantage of the awesome power the Xbox brings,” said J Allard, general manager, Xbox platform and third party relations. “It will be one of the key launch titles.”

Released: January 6, 2001