Contact: Halle Eavelyn, HyperBole Studios
Voice: (425)373-5230, Fax: (425)373-9370

For Immediate Release

VIRTUALCINEMA^® EXPANDS BREAKTHROUGH INTERACTIVE METHODS

HyperBole Studios Awarded Second Software Patent

(October 2, 2000 - Seattle, WA) HyperBole Studios announced that VirtualCinema, its interactive software engine, has been granted US Patent No. 5,999,172. The patent expands the intellectual property rights of HyperBole Studios for methods used by VirtualCinema in creating interactive video-based entertainment and other products. The company has an additional US patent application pending.

The patent adds 50 new claims to the earlier patent given to HyperBole Studios for VirtualCinema, which was first created in 1992. VirtualCinema is a set of design principles, a cross-platform engine, an interface design, and an authoring tool that enables developers and producers to unite traditional Hollywood filmmaking, cinematic storytelling, and deep interactivity to produce elegant, integrated interactive experiences.

VirtualCinema allows "viewsers" to become the main character in an interactive movie, game, or training experience. The engine, which can also use animated Flash assets and still graphics, was created specifically for live-action assets. Seamlessly combining video clips from a database, each viewser can determine the path of the experience inside the immersive environment. The engine also has a psychology engine built into it which tracks user choices and weighs them in emotional categories which feed back into the engine, further altering the experience.

HyperBole is now licensing the engine and its associated authoring tools, and continues to developVirtualCinema; an online version of the engine is in beta now. The company has just begun a round of fundraising for the broadband applications of its technology.

HyperBole Studios, a creator of world-class interactive entertainment, was founded in 1990 by Greg Roach, one of the country's foremost interactive designers. Its interactive engine, VirtualCinema, and award-winning interactive entertainment have consistently broken new ground in the interactive entertainment market.

HyperBole Studios and VirtualCinema are registered trademarks of HyperBole Studios.

http://www.virtualcinema.com
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