Riot Entertainment Secures Exclusive Wireless Interactive Game Rights to New Line Cinema’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Film Trilogy

London, 16 July 2001: Riot Entertainment (RIOT-E, www.riot-e.com), today announced that it had secured the exclusive handheld wireless interactive game rights for New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This pioneering partnership will bring the fantasy and adventure of The Lord of the Rings to mobile users throughout the world.

RIOT-E will develop interactive games for The Lord of the Rings fans and gaming communities, as well as a growing portfolio of interrelated wireless entertainment features throughout the movies’ lifecycle. Content is currently being created and is expected to be available later this summer in Europe, Asia and the United States – marking the first time wireless entertainment will be available to U.S. mobile users.

A variety of products will develop from simple SMS services to multiplayer experiences on a 3G platform during the lifespan of the rights.

Already boasting a potential global wireless community of 110 million through partnerships with mobile phone operators in Europe and Asia, RIOT-E anticipates that its potential user numbers will rise to 300 million by the end of the summer.

Jan Wellmann, CEO Riot Entertainment Ltd, said: "Partnering with New Line Cinema on a project on the scale of The Lord of the Rings is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the immense potential of wireless marketing and entertainment to a global audience. Through our partnerships with Marvel Enterprises Inc., Twentieth Century Fox and Helen Fielding, Author of Bridget Jones’s Diary, we have shown that we can get thousands of people hooked on an idea – and transformed the way they think about their mobile phone as an entertainment device. We aim to get millions of people interacting in the Lord of the Rings wireless community, building their awareness of the movie and feeding their imaginations with exciting content around what is set to be the movie event of 2001, 2002 and 2003."

The first film of the New Line Cinema trilogy, The Fellowship of the Rings, premieres on December 19, 2001. The second and third films – The Two Towers and Return of the King – are scheduled to launch in December 2002 and 2003 respectively.

Helmer Peter Jackson, whose visionary style of filmmaking and emotional acuity won accolades for his Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners, brings his deep love for the source material to the project. Produced by Barrie M. Osborne, the films feature a strong international cast that includes (in alphabetical order) Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood. But the real star of the films is the story itself - a classic hero’s quest in which the smallest of beings changes the course of the future with the vastness of his courage.

"The excitement surrounding this epic adventure continues to grow," comments David Imhoff, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and Merchandising, New Line Cinema. "RIOT-E’s mobile games will provide a launch pad into unique wireless The Lord of the Rings experiences, fuelling the world’s excitement and curiosity about the movie."

RIOT-E’s compelling suite of wireless entertainment services and unrivalled experience as the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher includes deals with among others, Marvel Enterprises, Universal Pictures and Helen Fielding, author of the best selling book and recent movie release Bridget Jones’s Diary. The partnership with Marvel Enterprises alone provides RIOT-E with the global wireless rights for all 4,700 Marvel characters including X-Men which has proven to be the most successful mobile game of all time, generating several million mobile messages to date. In addition, as excitement builds towards the 2002 Spider-Man movie, RIOT-E has partnered with premier Japanese content company Cybird Co., Ltd. to deliver Spider-Man wireless content to subscribers of Japan’s Big Four operators.

Riot Entertainment Ltd
Founded in February 2000, Riot Entertainment immediately established itself as an innovative publisher, creator, and distributor of entertainment in the wireless sector. RIOT-E brings with it imagination and style that enables wireless gaming, communication and commerce worldwide. Games created by RIOT-E are promoted and co-branded in parallel with highly visible international media releases such as movies, TV-shows, and sports events. RIOT-E has successfully launched it's X-Men mobile services with operators in Europe and Asia and has secured exclusive rights to mobile content based on the well-known character, Bridget Jones, from best selling book Bridget Jones's Diary. RIOT-E will also be bringing the wireless dimension to the Marvel Universe of over 4,700 characters. RIOT-E currently has offices in Helsinki, Singapore, Manila, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Los Angeles and employs 90 people worldwide.

About New Line Cinema
Founded in 1967, New Line Cinema is the entertainment industry's leading independent producer and distributor of theatrical motion pictures. New Line licenses its films to ancillary markets including cable and broadcast television as well as to international venues. The company, which is a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc., operates several divisions including in-house theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, television, acquisitions, production, licensing and merchandising units.