Press Release
AREA 51® Goes Gold for Xbox and PlayStation®2

Midway Games today announced that their Sci-Fi action/thriller, AREA 51®, has gone gold and will ship to stores for the Xbox® videogame system by Microsoft and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system on Monday, April 25, 2005.

Developed by Midway Studios-Austin, AREA 51 features an extensive story-driven single player campaign, coupled with an intense multiplayer experience where players can battle it out online with up to 16 players online for PS2 and Xbox. The only FPS to be set within the confines of Area 51, players delve into the government conspiracies and cover-ups blasting their way through hordes of horrific creatures with an arsenal of fearsome weapons, both human and alien. Adding to the exhilarating shooter gameplay is a blockbuster cast of celebrity voice talent. Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson will be the host of the game’s multiplayer action, also lending his voice to Edgar, an alien character in the game. David Duchovny and Powers Booth round out the A-list cast, lending their vocal talents as Specialist Ethan Cole and Major Bridges, respectively.

About AREA 51

The U.S. Army has received a distress signal from Area 51 where a viral outbreak has just shut down the research facility and the automated quarantine procedures have locked all scientific and military personnel inside. A small Special Forces unit led by Specialist Ethan Cole of the HAZMAT (hazardous materials) Division is sent to investigate. As Cole, players will delve into five massive levels within the confines of Area 51, discovering a deadly mutagenic side effect of the virus that controls the minds of those infected, as well as an ancient alien colony buried beneath the facility. With a multitude of human and alien weapons, players must explore chilling conspiracies such as the extraterrestrial crash at Roswell and the faked lunar landing, in order to solve the enigma of Area 51 before the viral mutagen is released and irrevocably mutates all life on Earth.