Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus™ Broadens the Action-Platform Gaming Experience While Stealing Gamers' Hearts

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the release of the highly anticipated title, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus™, created exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Created by Seattle-based developer, Sucker Punch Productions, and developed in collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment America's Foster City Studio, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus takes action-adventure platform gaming to new heights on PlayStation 2, showcasing a conceptually new type of character, extraordinary character designs, toon-shaded animations, innovative gameplay and spectacular graphics.

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Inspired by the simple yet dynamic styling of comic books, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is designed with the look and feel of a traditional cartoon. The development team employed toon-shading technology to create characters that are simple in color and shape but have distinctive outlines, allowing them to pop clearly out of the richly painted background. The result is a beautiful gameplay environment filled with detailed worlds that provide a gaming experience reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon come to life.

"We are thrilled to have Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus as part of this season's premier PlayStation 2 lineup," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "Sucker Punch has succeeded in blending realistic physics with a richly detailed, vibrant world to offer players a completely new and compelling action-adventure experience that looks and plays like an animated feature."

Sony Computer Entertainment America will support Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus with a massive, multi-million dollar marketing campaign, including advertising across national broadcast, print and online media as well as promotional and retail partnerships, to extend consumer awareness for the new title.

NATIONAL BROADCAST/CABLE ADVERTISING:

The television campaign for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus kicked off this week during the season premiere of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and continues during Primetime programming throughout the week. Additional spots will run in various time slots during broadcast, cable and syndicated programming continuing through December 2002. A total of three different executions will air on Primetime and Late Night including CBS, FOX, NBC, UPN and WBN networks, reaching viewers of "King of the Hill," "Fast Lane," "That 70s Show," "Fear Factor," "Buffy," "Angel," "Half and Half," "Smallville," "Charmed," "Do Over," "Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" and "Conan O'Brien." Targeted Cable programming will also be utilized, with spots running on BET, Comedy Central, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, FoxFX, MTV, Sci-Fi Channel, Speedvision, TBS, VH1, WON SuperStation and USA Network. Targeted kids programming will include spots on ABC Family, Cartoon Network, TCN and Nickelodeon.

NATIONAL PRINT/ONLINE ADVERTISING:

To support the mainstream appeal of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, a massive print advertising campaign running over four months will reach more than 25 million readers through a wide variety of national consumer publications including Gear, Maxim, Playboy, Spin, Stuff, Vibe, Entertainment Weekly, DC Teen, Disney Adventures, Nickelodeon, SI Kids, SI Teen. Targeted publications also include leading gaming magazines such as Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, GameNow, GamePro, The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, PLAY, PSE2, and PSM. An online advertising campaign will span gaming, teen and entertainment sites including IGN.com, WB.com, MTV.com, Atomfilms.com and Shockwave.com, reaching more than 20 million readers.

PROMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

Promotional support for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus kicked off in May with demo disk giveaways at E3. Consumer sampling opportunities began in July and will continue through March 2003 at a wide variety of events including the Summer X-Games, the Ozzfest and VooDoo music festivals, the ACC Pac 10 Collegiate Tour, the Winter X-Games and SuperBowl XXXVI. Additional sampling includes targeted consumer shows such as Comicon, WizardWorld and Big Apple AnimeFest.

NATIONAL RETAIL SUPPORT:

Key merchandising support for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus includes a dedicated point of purchase campaign at all national retailers. Support began with a Tease campaign that hit retail in August and continues with a launch campaign that will remain in stores through January 2003.

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus follows the story of a charming and wry, charismatic thief, Sly Cooper. Born into a family of the world's greatest thieves, Sly, on his eighth birthday, was given the Thievius Raccoonus, a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation containing all of his ancestors' best-kept secrets and thieving techniques. That same evening, a gang of ruthless villains broke into his home, overpowering his father and stealing the Thievius Raccoonus, splitting it five ways and each taking a piece of the legacy with them. Now, ten years later, Sly Cooper is ready to track down the bad guys and reclaim what is rightfully his.

Players can choose from a variety of gameplay options including stealth, platform, vehicle races, boss arenas and mini-games. Stealth and smarts are required as gamers sneak through the day and night, engaging in rooftop chases, dodging security guards, jumping ninja-style through windows, doors and across buildings, and making narrow escapes through diverse landscapes.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus "E" for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org/.

About Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch Productions designs innovative games that feature the best in character design, gameplay and technology for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Sucker Punch's first title was the critically acclaimed, Rocket: Robot on Wheels. Since releasing Rocket, the Sucker Punch team has been committed to the development of a new title for PlayStation 2: Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Additional information can be found on the company's Web site at http://www.suckerpunch.com/.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® game console and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.

Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation game console and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PlayStation game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

CONTACT: Charlotte Panther, +1-650-655-3542, or
charlotte_panther@playstation.sony.com, or Tina Casalino, +1-650-655-8102, or
tina_casalino@playstation.sony.com, both of Sony Computer Entertainment
America Inc.

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

Web site: http://www.esrb.org/

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