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Press Clippings | FFVII Official Release Date Broken

Retailers Nationwide Break Official Release Date of PlayStation's "Final Fantasy VII" Videogame

Most Anticipated Videogame of the Year Sees Tremendous Overnight Sales

FOSTER CITY, Calif.,--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 1997-- In an unorthodox move to satisfy the overwhelming pent-up consumer demand for the PlayStation brand's "Final Fantasy VII" -- the most anticipated videogame of the year -- thousands of retail outlets nationwide began selling the game in advance of its official Sept. 7 release date.

By releasing "Final Fantasy VII" early, a nationwide frenzy began for the latest game in the multimillion dollar Final Fantasy franchise created by the industry's premiere developer, Square Soft Inc. The consumer frenzy resulted in phenomenal overnight sales of this new videogame developed exclusively for the PlayStation game console.

"Gamers have been asking for this game for months," said Pete Roithmayr, director/senior buyer, video games, Electronics Boutique. "As a result of the pre-sell program we implemented for `Final Fantasy VII' -- where we had tens of thousands of copies of `Final Fantasy VII' on reserve for customers -- it hasn't been enough.

"We've had customers asking us on a daily basis when is it shipping. Due to this tremendous response, we have pulled out all of the stops to get this product delivered as quickly as possible. It has finally shipped and it is in our stores today."

"The massive consumer demand that's been placed on `Final Fantasy VII' has been extraordinary," said Andrew House, vice president, marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Our overnight sales have been record-breaking. We foresee that the momentum of the `Final Fantasy VII' phenomenon will continue through the holiday months."

"Final Fantasy VII," spans across three PlayStation CDs and offers in excess of 50 hours of gameplay, including state-of-the-art 3-D graphics and animation and the most cinematic gaming experience ever offered on the PlayStation game console, as well as all of the Final Fantasy series' traditional and appealing characters and storyline.

In December 1996, Sony Computer Entertainment America agreed to a multititle publishing deal with Square Co. Ltd., allowing the company full North American publishing and distribution rights to Square's PlayStation product line. Along with rights to publish the revolutionary "Final Fantasy VII," Sony Computer Entertainment America has first rights of refusal on three additional PlayStation exclusive releases, "Bushido Blade," "Final Fantasy Tactics" and "SaGa Frontier."

Square Soft Inc., a subsidiary of Square Co. Ltd., Japan, manages the publishing and development of videogames in North America. The company was established in 1989 in Redmond, Wash., and relocated its headquarters to Costa Mesa, Calif., in July 1996.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets and distributes the PlayStation game console in North America, develops and publishes software for the PlayStation game console, and manages the U.S. third party licensing program. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Visit the company on the Web at http://www.playstation.com

CONTACT: Sony
Molly Smith, 650/655-6044
molly_smith@playstation.sony.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard Inc.
Chris Kniestedt, 916/441-7606
kniestec@fleishman.com


COPYRIGHT 1997 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group


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