Shacknews Document

Bethesda Softworks Announces Deal to Publish
Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth

First-Person Horror Game for PC and Xbox Based on
Renowned Author's Famous 'Cthulhu Mythos'

May 7, 2003 (Rockville, MD) - Bethesda Softworks® today announced that it
will publish Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the EarthT, a first-person
horror game for PC and the XboxT video game system from Microsoft. Developed
by Headfirst Productions, Call of Cthulhu is a mix of horror, investigation,
puzzle solving, exploration, and combat as you are faced with the seemingly
impossible task of battling evil incarnate.

Call of Cthulhu combines intense action and adventure elements that require
keen investigative skills to overcome. Other than fighting, you have the
ability to interact freely with characters and the gaming environment. To
increase the sense of immersion, there is no interface or 'HUD' on screen at
any time during normal gameplay, making you feel as if you are really part
of the game world.

"We chose to work with Bethesda because they understood what makes Call of
Cthulhu a game worth getting excited about," said Mike Woodroffe, president
of Headfirst Productions. "It's a game that will feel very comfortable to
anyone who's played first-person shooter or horror-based games, while at the
same time it does a lot of new and innovative things that make the
experience more intense."

Set during the 1920s, Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of HP
Lovecraft, an American writer of fantasy and horror and is produced in
conjunction with the developers of the Call of Cthulhu pen and paper RPG,
Chaosium Inc. Lovecraft's stories tell of unthinkable evil, psychic
possession, and mythical worlds and his work has profoundly influenced
numerous fantasy and science fiction writers, including Stephen King and
Anne Rice.

"With Call of Cthulhu, Headfirst has taken the soul-crushing horror of
Lovecraft's universe and turned it into a thrilling game experience," said
Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "Our success with games
like Morrowind demonstrates that gamers are ready for experiences that push
the boundaries and try things that nobody else has done, and Call of Cthulhu
definitely fits that description."

The technology powering Call of Cthulhu has provided Headfirst with the
means to present an incredibly detailed and accurate depiction of the sights
and sounds of this unique 1920's New England setting. A diverse range of
cutting edge special effects is utilized to ensure both unprecedented levels
of realism and an exact portrayal of your mental degradation.

Call of Cthulhu is scheduled for release in early 2004 and will be on
display at E3 this year.

About Bethesda Softworks
Headquartered in Rockville, MD, Bethesda Softworks LLC is a developer and
publisher of entertainment software and has published numerous award-winning
titles, including The Elder Scrolls® series, the Terminator series, and will
publish Pirates of the Caribbean in June for Xbox and PC. Its full product
line spans the sports, racing, RPG, strategy and action genres. For more
information on Bethesda Softworks' products, visit www.bethsoft.com.

About Headfirst Productions
Headfirst Productions is an independent computer games development company
based near Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1997 as a
developer of top quality games for the PC, Playstation®2, XboxT, GameCube,
and GBA. For more information on Headfirst, visit www.headfirst.co.uk.

About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft's future-generation video game
system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever. Xbox empowers
game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions
as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and
reality. Xbox is now available in the continents of North America, Europe,
Asia and Australia.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (c) 2003 Bethesda Softworks LLC,
a ZeniMax Media Inc.  Distributed under license from Headfirst Productions
Ltd. (UK). Call of Cthulhu is a registered trademark of Chaosium Inc. The
Elder Scrolls, Morrowind, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and their logos are
registered trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. Xbox and Microsoft are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Other product and company names
referenced herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. All rights
reserved.