Popular Arcade Title Goes Multiplayer; Available For Download On Xbox 360

EUGENE, Ore., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- GarageGames, the leading publishing label for independent games and professional game makers, is pleased to announce an agreement with Microsoft to deliver an exclusive Xbox Live(R) Arcade title for Xbox 360, "Marble Blast Ultra." "Having high quality games like Marble Blast Ultra in Xbox Live Arcade during the Xbox 360 launch window demonstrates our commitment to the wide spectrum of games available on the system," said Greg Canessa, Group Manager of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. "GarageGames proves that highly creative indie developers can bring fun, original games to consumers, and we want to encourage that."

"Xbox Live(R) Arcade for Xbox 360 lets gamers define their own distinctive gaming universe," said Mark Frohnmayer, President of GarageGames. "Marble Blast Ultra fills a unique niche in the Xbox 360's stellar lineup of launch titles. There are next-generation console gamers who are willing to experiment with small scale, unique titles and Microsoft is giving these players that opportunity. We are thrilled with the chance to work with this revolutionary hardware."

Marble Blast Ultra is the latest in the classic Marble Blast series. It is an online multiplayer arcade action masterpiece with stay-up-all-night gameplay and a level of visual polish that can only be found on Xbox 360. Suitable for players of any age, the game takes place in a futuristic 'astrolab' arena suspended high in the clouds where players compete against each other by navigating their marbles through moving platforms and dangerous hazards, while collecting rare gems and power-up enhancements, in an effort to complete each course in record time. To add to the fun, players will compete head to head in ultra blast multiplayer mode where racing to collect gems will combine with full on marble bashing action to see who ultimately wins all the marbles. Marble Blast Ultra is scheduled to be available via download on Xbox Live Arcade around the launch of Xbox 360. Pricing information will be forthcoming.

  Screenshots available:
   http://www.indiegamescon.com/MarbleBlastUltra.zip

  About GarageGames:

GarageGames' mission is to change the way games are made and played. GarageGames provides the technology, community and market to empower game makers to build commercial quality multiplatform games. GarageGames is located in Eugene, Oregon and on the web at http://www.garagegames.com/ and is the annual presenter of IndieGamesCon (Oct. 7-9, 2005).

NOTE: Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

CONTACT: Benjamin Bradley of GarageGames.com, Inc., +1-541-345-3040, or benjaminb@garagegames.com; or Rob Fleischer of Sandbox Strategies, +1-212-213-2451, or rob@sandboxstrat.com, for GarageGames.com, Inc.

Web site: http://www.garagegames.com/

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