KABUKI WARRIORS ON XBOX
August 13, 2001

Crave is working on a Kabuki Theater fighting game for the Xbox, which will be available at or near launch. The full press release follows:

Crave Entertainment today announced “Kabuki Warriors” for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Inspired by classic arcade fighters and traditional Japanese theater, “Kabuki Warriors” features samurai actors as they strive to astonish audiences with brilliant swordplay and dramatic moves.

“Kabuki Warriors combines the easy-to-play, hard-to-master style of classic fighting games with full 3D models and beautiful special effects ,” said Holly Newman, Executive Vice President at Crave Entertainment. “The simple, addictive gameplay will combine well with the technical capabilities of Xbox, resulting in an exciting game with beautiful visuals.”

Set in the Tokugawa period, “Kabuki Warriors” translates the beauty and intricacies of classical Kabuki Theater to traditional arcade fighter gameplay. As the leader of a troupe of Kabuki warriors, the player must travel from Edo to Kyoto, the heart of Japanese entertainment, competing against other Kabuki troupes along the way. Warriors perform spectacular swordfights and taunting dances as they strive to humble their competitors and charm audiences. By trading troupe members for defeated but worthy opponents, the player will acquire a master company of samurai actors as they travel to Kyoto to defeat the city's star troupe.

Features for “Kabuki Warriors” include:

• Fighting warriors in winner-take-all competitions on stages across Japan
• Pummeling opponents and striking dramatic poses to gain the crowd's favor
• Maximizing the popularity bar to perform devastating special attacks
• Numerous stages set across Japan
• 24 Characters with different weapons and unique attacks
• Utilization of life and popularity bars that affect attack abilities
• Numerous game modes including: Adventure, Time Attack, Tournament, and Versus

“Kabuki Warriors” is designed for Xbox and is scheduled to ship November 2001.