Talented Writer Offers Divin Inspiration to Gamers

[Vampyr]

Beyond Divinity Gets its own Novella

Bold new publisher Digital Jesters continues its plans to dominate the PC
sector with its forthcoming release of fantasy RPG Beyond Divinity, which
will exclusively feature a specially written 50-page plus novella by
prestigious and respected writer Rhianna Pratchett. The novella, Child of
the Chaos, weaves a masterful tale set in the original fantasy realm of
the Divinity Universe, exploring magic and riftrunning between worlds, and
capturing the imagination and essence of the game in its skilfully drafted
pages and illustrations.

The novella will be offered as a special bundle retail pack and pre-order
gift to UK gamers, with European gamers being able to receive the novella
from the official Beyond Divinity website on game launch for a nominal
postage cost. Stateside gamers won’t be left out either, as North American
publisher Hip Games™ is offering the special retail packthrough Best Buy
(US).

With all game scripts and storylines edited by Rhianna herself and game
code developed by Belgium-based Larian Studios, Beyond Divinity offers
gamers and RPG fans a unique and rich fantasy world extending the team’s
award-winning precursory game Divine Divinity, which was published to
critical acclaim in August 2002.

Beyond Divinity boasts an original and imagination-capturing storyline
portrayed by a superior game engine and features stunningly detailed
role-playing, where players assume the role of a character soul-forged
with a terrifying Death Knight. The player’s fate is to spend the rest of
eternity bonded to this creature of evil, unless they can undo the curse –
resulting in an epic adventure to unlock the secret of ‘Riftrunning’...
the only answer to a life of darkness.

The game features a deep and detailed storyline filled with plot twists
and optional sub-quests. Yet despite its intricacies, Beyond Divinity is
an accessible RPG, which handholds novices through the early stages –
although experienced adventurers can whiz off at a pace of their choosing.
A unique summoning doll adds a fresh element to the game, and with total
party control, players can experience a level of interaction and
adventuring unlike those seen before. Additionally, Beyond Divinity boasts
endless replay value through its unique battlefield generator.

Leo Zullo, Marketing Director, Digital Jesters said: “Rhianna has played a
central role in the development process of Beyond Divinity helping provide
stunning scripts and inventive storylines. Her 50-page plus novella, Child
of the Chaos, will be a real treat for new and existing gamers entering
the Divinity realm”

Beyond Divinity will be available in the UK for PC CD-ROM on April 8th
2003. Priced £29.99 it will be published throughout the UK by Digital
Jesters. Larian Studios has secured individual publishing rights with a
number of top publishers across Europe for the European version, whilst
North American publisher Hip Games™ will handle the US novella bundle deal
across the US. A Macintosh version will follow later.

For more information visit the official site: www.beyond-divinity.com

Note to editors: Founded in Sept 2003, Digital Jesters is a new
publisher with a fresh attitude. Signing only quality titles, Digital
Jesters portfolio consists of Trackmania, Virtual Skipper 3, Savage, Pro
Rugby Manager, Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps, and Beyond Divinity. The team
has over 30 years experience, and prior to this were responsible for
setting up CDV Software’s UK division, generating over £2.5 million in the
first 12 months, and breaking in new brands such as Cossacks, Sudden
Strike, Divine Divinity and Breed.

For more information visit www.digitaljesters.com.

About Hip GamesHip Games™ (www.hip-games.com), a division of Hip
Interactive Corp., provides Exclusive Distribution service and unique
Publishing opportunities to publishers and developers from around the
world, in both PC and console formats. Large enough to reach almost every
major North American retailer and committed to working intimately with its
business partners, Hip Games(tm) always comes to play.

About Hip Interactive Corp.Hip Interactive (www.hipinteractive.com)
is a leading North American provider of electronic entertainment products,
including PC and video games, movies, video arcade games, and proprietary
games, branded as Hip Games™, and accessories, branded as Hip Gear™. The
Company distributes all first party products, including Sony, Microsoft
and Nintendo hardware, software and accessories, as well as third party
licensed video game software. Hip Interactive trades on The Toronto Stock
exchange under the symbol "HP".

Am I posting enough news for you, Canyarion?!