This press release is from BHPR's website.

EDINBURGH FEELS THE FORCE WITH LEGO® STAR WARSTM VIDEO GAME PREMIERE

LEGO Star Wars video game is exclusively previewed at the Odeon, Saturday 14th August, 2.00pm

Thursday 5 August 2004/... Get your lightsabers ready; LEGO Star Wars is landing in Edinburgh this August. The Edinburgh International Games Festival has set the date for the European debut of LEGO Star Wars, the brand new video game for console and PC slated for release in spring 2005, as part of the festival's unique Games Screenings programme.

Blending the unique world of designs of LEGO toys with the unforgettable characters of the prequel eras of the Star Wars universe, LEGO Star Wars will offer dynamic vehicles, environments and characters to young players, who will be able to live all of the adventures of the most memorable and exciting scenes from The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and the eagerly awaited Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

The game boasts two-player "drop-in/drop-out" co-operative play throughout; and with the unique LEGO 'Free Play' mode, players can take both Light Side and Dark Side characters into unique situations.

The game will be released in conjunction with an exciting new range of LEGO Star Wars play materials in spring 2005, prior to the May 2005 release of Star Wars: Episode III.

LEGO Star Wars is being developed for console and PC under an agreement between The LEGO Company and LucasArts. The LEGO Company has contracted with game publisher Giant Interactive Entertainment to handle all aspects of game development and publishing and they are working with acclaimed developer Traveller's Tales, whose major successes to date include the Toy Story, Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex and Finding Nemo video games.

The screening at 2.00pm on Saturday 14th August, headed by Jonathan Smith, development director at Giant, promises to offer an exclusive advance preview of the game, bringing the LEGO characters and Star Wars worlds to life for the very first time.

Jonathan Smith said: "We're lucky enough to be working with a wonderful development team at Traveller's Tales. They're pulling out all the stops to create a truly innovative game, which everyone loves to play. I'm really looking forward to showing off our work at EIGF. You won't have seen anything like this before."

The LEGO Star Wars video game is one of eight diverse and fascinating screenings to be held at The Odeon, 118 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, during the course of the Festival. Visit the website at www.eigf.co.uk  for full details.

In addition to the Game Screenings, the EIGF04 programme of events also consists of:

Go Play Games, a two-week public gameplay exhibition providing gamers with the opportunity to get interactive with the very latest and greatest software and hardware products – Royal Museum, Chambers Street, 8th to 22nd August 2004.

Two days of conference – 12th and 13th August 2004 - including the presentation of the prestigious EDGE Award.

To book tickets for Go Play Games call: 0131 247 4422. Tickets cost £2 per person per session. Please note all children must be accompanied by an adult. Some games may be rated 18+, and all age ratings will be clearly identified.

About EIGF04: The art, form and business of interactive entertainment driving popular culture EIGF04 (Edinburgh International Games Festival), running in parallel with the other Edinburgh Festivals during August 2004, will continue to increase the awareness and understanding of interactive entertainment highlighting the growing bond between video games and other entertainment industries notably music, literature, television and film. Managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the business, including publishers, developers and two industry trade bodies; The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) the EIGF is financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and by sponsorship from some of the biggest names in interactive entertainment.

About Giant: Based in Beaconsfield, England, Giant Interactive Entertainment Ltd is the only publisher to specialise in computer and video games for young gamers and their families. LEGO Star WarsTM is Giant's first step on the road to becoming the leading publisher in this market.

About Traveller's Tales: Traveller's Tales has over ten years of experience making best-selling games including Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Sonic 3D, Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex and most recently Finding Nemo.

About The LEGO Company: The LEGO Company is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. The Company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children, employing approximately 8,000 people globally. The LEGO Company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by the founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough."

About LucasArts: LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment products for video game consoles, computers and the Internet. Based in Marin County, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com , LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multi-faceted entertainment company.

Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world's leading film and entertainment companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held, fully integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual-effects and audio post-production; and Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties. Additionally, Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties and businesses. Lucasfilm's motion-picture productions include five of the 20 biggest box-office hits of all time and have received 19 Oscars and 53 Academy Award nominations. Lucasfilm's television projects have won 12 Emmy Awards. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in Marin County, Calif.

LEGO, the LEGO logo and the Minifigure are trademarks of The LEGO Group. © 2004 The LEGO Group. LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2004 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or TM as indicated. All rights reserved.

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