Shacknews Document

MONKEYSTONE GAMES ANNOUNCEMENT

Quinlan, TX, October 3, 2001 - There comes a rumbling from the countryside outside of Dallas. Rising from the Texas wilderness with renewed passion and drive, legendary video game creators Tom Hall and John Romero today announce the formation of Monkeystone Games: a video game developer and publisher with an emphasis on handheld platforms.

Monkeystone's highly focused team of veterans comes together with a singular vision and more than 50 years of experience in the video game industry. Fresh off his highly-acclaimed RPG Anachronox, Tom Hall leads the creative charge and fills the role of Game Designer and President. Hall is joined by long-time design partner John Romero as Lead Programmer and Chief Executive Officer. "It's so great to be able to create games WITH Tom again rather than NEAR Tom!" says Romero.

Filling out the Monkeystone business department are Brian Moon and Stevie "KillCreek" Case. Moon comes to the studio fresh from his service as Chief Financial Officer at Ensemble Studios, makers of the multi-million unit selling Age of Empires series of PC games. Case, named last year by PC Gamer as one of "The Next Game Gods" and among Working Woman Magazine's "20 Under 30 Women to Watch in Business," slips on the comfortable shoes of Vice President and Production Coordinator. Monkeystone is also joined by Lucas "TheZealot" Davis in the position of Manager of Information Systems and Programmer.

Monkeystone's first creation, scheduled for release online in the Monkeystone store at on November 1, is an original action-puzzle game for the Pocket PC titled Hyperspace Delivery Boy! featuring bizarre environments, quirky humor, and fiendishly designed levels! In HDB you are Guy Carrington, and it is your job to make your way through thirty tough assignments that span the galaxy in your quest for the title of Delivery Boy 1st Class. Are you up to the ridiculously massive challenge?

"HDB is gonna be really fun to play - lots of cool secrets, action combined with puzzle-solving. It'll be perfect for the Pocket PC, and whatever other platform it travels to. It's a good product to start the company with, as it's not a huge project, but it's a really fun one. It's a blast to work on a small, cool title," says Hall.

Monkeystone plans to release several more major games for the Pocket PC within the next six months. According to Moon, "We believe that this is the industry to be in. It's exciting and new and there are emerging opportunities. Handhelds are innovative and feel different from other gaming platforms. With great software, the Pocket PC will become the grown-up Game Boy Advance."

In addition to developing for the Pocket PC, Monkeystone will create original titles for other handheld platforms including the Game Boy Advance, Qualcomm's BREW for mobile devices, and Microsoft's Stinger protocol.

"Focusing on fixed hardware and short development cycles allows all of us to focus on making the games fun, and that's what matters. We are having an absolute blast! Most significantly, it's thrilling to have John and Tom working so closely again. They are a great team, and their skills complement each other extremely well," says Case.

"Monkeystone is a fun company dedicated to great gaming experiences on all handheld platforms, from the Pocket PC to mobile phones to portable videogame systems. The convergence of all these markets is coming, and it's exciting to be on the first wave of quality products!" says Hall.

According to Romero, "We're getting back to our roots: small fun games on a stable platform that can be developed within months. Everyone is multi-talented and because of that, we can stay small -- which is how we like it here at Monkeystone. It's great being able to get things done instantaneously because everyone is right here working together."

"Monkeystone is dedicated to smaller games and a small staff. That way, the quality can remain super high, and we get to try all sorts of gaming ideas," says Hall.

The Monkeystone Games crew will be in attendance at the first ever Pocket PC Summit in Los Angeles from October 10 - 12. Check out Monkeystone Games on the net at http://www.monkeystone.com.