VU Publishing's Games Division Acquires Exclusive Publishing Rights To Whirl Tour, a New Extreme Sports Action-Adventure Title Scheduled to Debut in Fourth Quarter

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 - Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing) and Crave Entertainment today announced the signing of a worldwide publishing agreement granting VU Publishing's Games division (VU Games) exclusive rights to the multi-platform release of Whirl Tour. Scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter 2002, Whirl Tour offers players a unique combination of action, extreme sports and adventure-based game play. The title will be available for the Nintendo GameCube(TM) and PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system.

"Extreme sports is a hot category in the games business right now, and Whirl Tour puts an exciting twist on the genre by incorporating action and adventure elements," said Luc Vanhal, President and COO, North America for VU Games. "We believe that Whirl Tour has the universal appeal necessary for success in the global games market and we look forward to launching this title in time for the holiday buying season."

"We're very excited about this new partnership," says Crave Entertainment president Ron Scott. "We expect that the capabilities of the VU Games marketing and sales teams will result in significant consumer awareness and

retail presence for Whirl Tour."

In Whirl Tour, players assume the role of Wasa B., the roadie for the rock band Flipside. After the band is mysteriously kidnapped during a concert, Wasa B. must rescue his friends and uncover the mystery of their capture. The action takes players through eight creative, colorfully rendered, interactive levels, including a castle, a theme park, a movie set and even a floating city.

Players will utilize a variety of gas, electric, and rocket powered scooters to navigate through the game levels. Throughout the game, the player will collect CD-style icons that will add the music tracks to an in-game "jukebox" which functions as a customizable play list.

Further product details regarding Whirl Tour will be announced shortly. For more information about other VU Games initiatives and upcoming product releases, visit http://www.vugames.com .

About Vivendi Universal Publishing

Vivendi Universal Publishing, a division of the world's second largest communications group (Vivendi Universal), publishes content in four major languages and has strong local brands. As the world's third largest publisher, the Company's key content areas include literature, reference, school, college, kids, games and consumer press. Vivendi Universal Publishing is a global leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment. A leading publisher of PC, console and online-based interactive content, its portfolio of development studios includes Black Label Games, Blizzard Entertainment, NDA Productions, Sierra Entertainment and Universal Interactive. Through its subsidiary VU Games, it distributes worldwide its interactive contents and co-publishes and/or distributes products for a number of strategic partners. VU Publishing's digitization policy provides its content with a doorway to multi-platform international distribution giving the group a competitive edge in a changing market.

About Crave Entertainment

Based in Los Angeles, California, Crave Entertainment is a privately held publisher of videogame entertainment products. The company's best-selling line-up features top brands and franchises such as Ultimate Fighting Championship and Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

Crave produces games for the major console platforms including Game Boy(R) Advance, Nintendo GameCube(TM), the PlayStation(R) game console, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and for the PC. For more information about Crave Entertainment, visit http://www.cravegames.com .