TV Network About Video Games Partners with Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences to Air Awards Special Hosted by Comedian and Actor Dave Foley

LOS ANGELES (February 18, 2003) – G4® would like to thank the academy…the interactive academy, that is. Today, the TV network all about video games announced a partnership with the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) to co-produce and air a one-hour special on the Academy’s Sixth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the video game industry’s preeminent awards event, which recognizes creative achievement in video game development. The announcement was made today by Vinnie Longobardo, senior vice president, programming, G4.

The Interactive Achievement Awards will take place February 27 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, with the one-hour G4 special airing in March.

The awards event will be hosted by comedian and actor Dave Foley, best known as the star of the long-running NBC comedy series, News Radio. Among the awards presenters will be extreme sports personality Tony Hawk; multi-sensory performance troupe Blue Man Group; actor Xander Berkeley, currently starring in the hit Fox TV series 24; actress Julie Benz of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Roswell and Angel fame; actress Kelly Hu, star of the upcoming X2, the sequel to the blockbuster film X-Men; and Mike Metzger, the undisputed pioneer of freestyle motocross. The show also will feature a special musical performance by the recording act, Unwritten Law.

Held during the annual D.I.C.E. Summit (D.I.C.E. stands for Design, Innovate, Communicate and Entertain), which assembles the game industry’s most accomplished professionals for two days of discussion and brainstorming, the peer-based Interactive Achievement Awards recognize the talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of interactive entertainment's popularity, success and prestige.

“The Academy was created in 1996 to increase awareness and promote the art of interactive entertainment. Now, seven years later, we have a $9 billion industry, a respected awards platform, and we have G4, the first 24-hour TV destination for video gamers,” said Paul Provenzano, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. “The fact is that people passionate about games are going to be watching G4, so for the both the Interactive Achievement Awards and the Academy, G4 is the logical place to be.”

“G4 shares the Academy’s dedication to supporting the craft of video game development and to reflecting the culture of interactive entertainment,” said Vinnie Longobardo, sr. vice president, programming, G4. “We’re proud to be the first network to bring the Academy’s prestigious awards to television, and look forward to producing an exciting awards show that will satisfy our discerning audience of savvy gamers.”

Interactive Achievement Awards are presented in 30 craft, console, computer and online categories. Awards highlights include an overall Game of the Year Award, as well as Game of the Year in different genres, and the prestigious Hall of Fame Award, which will be presented this year to SEGA®’s Yu Suzuki, widely recognized as a pioneer of console video gaming.