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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - - April 29 , 1 9 9 7 - - In response to increased interest in online game centers, The Palace, Inc., the leader in Internet community software, today announced PalaceLobby, the first tool that allows anyone with a game site to host an interactive game lobby without creating an entirely new program. Introduced at the Computer Game Developers Conference in Santa Clara, PalaceLobby meets growing market demand for a flexible, off-the-shelf solution that integrates chat technology and player coordination services in a rich, graphical environment. In the past, game developers and players working to create a game lobby had to author their own program or join a proprietary game lobby service. GameSpot, the Internet's premier game site, has selected PalaceLobby as the foundation for a new online area the site is creating. With PalaceLobby, developers can leverage the popularity of The Palace as a multimedia community platform to improve the online multiplayer experience. Because of the open nature of The Palace, any interested gamer can visit a PalaceLobby to interact with other gamers, launch seamlessly into a Microsoft DirectPlay-enabled game and return to consider a rematch or find a new competitor. In addition, PalaceLobby is designed to take advantage of proprietary online game APIs. The significance of the announcement is underscored by a new partnership with GameSpot, the largest source of gamers and game information on the Internet. GameSpot will incorporate PalaceLobby as an extension of its existing web site, where players across a wide variety of games and skill levels can meet, make new friends (or enemies) and launch a game of their choice. By combining PalaceLobby with a complementary player-matching data base, GameSpot will set a new standard for multiplayer gaming on the Internet. "PalaceLobby gives us the flexibility we need to further expand our appeal to the core gamers online," commented Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO of GameSpot. "More gamers need to experience online gaming. By providing connections for those who purchased this capability with the game, we'll be in the best position to support all online gaming, whether it comes from built-in DirectPlay or through for-pay, low-latency networks." PalaceLobby will be closely integrated to support the Microsoft DirectPlay 5.0 API and the APIs of proprietary online games -- the technology that makes it possible to launch multiplayer games from the Internet. A beta version of PalaceLobby was released to developers at the Computer Game Developers Conference, and will be bundled with the Microsoft DirectPlay 3.0 SDK along with Microsoft Internet Explorer. A final version of PalaceLobby will be available as an added feature to The Palace server software in June. "Play and competition are a natural part of any community, so The Palace sees the marriage of multiplayer games and community services as a logical evolution" commented Mike Maerz, president and CEO of The Palace. "With PalaceLobby, a gamer in Oregon can meet someone from Iowa, launch and play a game, then return to the lobby to trade 'war' stories. This experience wasn't possible until today. It's a great opportunity for game sites and game developers." PalaceLobby is the latest enhancement to The Palace virtual community platform. In March, The Palace introduced PalacePresents TM, an auditorium feature that allows event moderators to include audiovisual elements in presentations, including the real-time audio broadcast of any presentation, and interactive graphics and animation -- all within the popular Palace interface. The Palace is the leader in Internet multimedia community software, with more than one million user downloads and well over 1,000 server sites. The software is used by individuals and organizations around the world who want to enhance the Internet by participating in a virtual community to talk, interact and share experiences in a graphical world. Existing Palace communities include Howard Rheingold's Electric Minds, Intel, Sony Pictures, Entrepreneur Magazine, Capitol Records, Fox Broadcasting Network, SonicNet, Next Generation Online and the House of Blues. The Palace
was first released on the World Wide Web in 1995 and has since become
the leader in virtual communities, offering multimedia chat, software
and services. The Palace became an independent private corporation in
July 1996. Lead investors include Intel, Time Warner and Softbank. More
information about The Palace, including a free trial version, can be accessed
through the World Wide Web at http://www.thepalace.com.
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