Forza Motorsport™ Races To Critical Acclaim
At The 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo

— Microsoft Game Studios' Newly Announced Racing Simulation Among
"Best Racing Games” of E3 —

October 19, 2004 – At the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft Game Studios proudly rolled Forza Motorsport out of the garage to much fanfare and critical acclaim. In recognition and anticipation of the first fully-customizable driving simulator for Xbox®, Forza Motorsport was nominated for the Game Critics Award for "Best Racing Game” at E3, which will be awarded on Tuesday, June 8, 2004.

Slated to hit stores this holiday season, Forza Motorsport will offer Xbox gamers and car enthusiasts the opportunity to own, customize, upgrade and race their favorite cars in the most realistic driving simulator on Xbox.

Racers will be challenged to accumulate earnings to tune-up their rides with upgrades like engine swaps, bolt-on superchargers and suspension kits. Gamers can also "trick-out” their creations with sleek, new paint schemes and upgradeable parts including body kits, rims, spoilers, decals, side skirts, fender flares, hood scoops and decals from over 150 aftermarket motorsport partners. Gear heads will love the process of creating their very own high-performance racing machines by transforming one of hundreds of different models from 60 of the world's top car manufacturers including Ferrari, Porsche, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chevrolet, BMW, Mazda and Dodge. Forza Motorsport will supply the canvas and tools for a tuner artist's racing masterpiece.

True passion for cars and racing transcends more than mere competition – it's about learning every car's strengths and weaknesses, discussing driving techniques with friends and sharing your best work in the garage with the world. With full Xbox Live™ compatibility and innovative new ways to compete and communicate online, Forza Motorsport gives gamers the ability to flex the muscles of their custom performance-tuned creations against the best the online world has to offer.

To learn more about Forza Motorsport, racing gamers can visit www.xbox.com/forza.

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for Windows, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as Age of Empires®, Flight Simulator and Zoo Tycoon®; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as Halo®, Project Gotham Racing and NFL Fever; and Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as Bejeweled and OutSmart™.

Xbox (http://www.xbox.com) is the video game system from Microsoft that brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment experiences. Xbox delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games, powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live online service. The new tagline, "it's good to play together,” captures the spirit of Xbox as the social hub of the new digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox is now available in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.