LONDON – 22 February 2008 — At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2008 today, Microsoft Corp. celebrated the success of its industry-leading Xbox LIVE Arcade platform with the inaugural Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards. In January, more than 26,000 people voted for their favourite Xbox LIVE Arcade games, and this week Microsoft announced the winners at a private developer reception at GDC.

The finalists in each award category were chosen by a panel of select industry journalists, and the winners for the first six categories were determined by popular vote, with the final four categories decided by sales and gameplay data, Metacritic score or staff vote. Following are the winners for each category:

Xbox LIVE Arcade Award Winners

· Best Overall Arcade Game: “Bomberman Live” (Hudson Entertainment)

· Best Classic Game: “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (Konami Digital Entertainment)

· Best Original Game: “Pac-Man: Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games)

· Best Family-Friendly Game: “Pac-Man: Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games)

· Best Competitive Multiplayer Game: “Bomberman Live” (Hudson Entertainment)

· Best Cooperative Multiplayer Game: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Ubisoft Entertainment)

· Best-Selling Game: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Ubisoft Entertainment)

· Most-Played Game: “Worms” (Team17 Software Limited)

· Highest-Rated Game: “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (Konami Digital Entertainment)

· Xbox LIVE Arcade Staff Choice: “Pac-Man: Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games)

“The Xbox LIVE Arcade business is currently the strongest it’s ever been, thanks to the content provided by the diverse range of talented developers attached to the platform,” said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft. “The Game Developers Conference is the perfect venue to recognise the successes of Xbox LIVE Arcade developers, and as we move further into 2008, gamers can expect to see even more quality content land on Xbox LIVE Arcade.”

Xbox LIVE Arcade is home to the world’s most innovative independent developers, with more than 25 independent studios serving as the creative fuel behind the original games that represent more than a quarter of the Xbox LIVE Arcade library.

In addition, the number of Xbox LIVE Arcade players has grown 145 percent since this time last year, and together players have logged more than 115 million gaming hours worldwide. The business as a whole has experienced a 150 percent year-over-year growth in unit sales.

With 14 Xbox LIVE Arcade games clocking in with a Metacritic score of 80 or higher and seven of those games available only on Xbox LIVE Arcade, the platform has established itself as the go-to source for quality pick-up-and-play gaming. There are currently more than 116 games available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, with new content added on Wednesdays.