Press Release

Premiere Virtual Community Forms Alliance with Multi-Player Gaming Leader

New York, N.Y. (October 13, 1997) -- The Globe, produced by WebGenesis, www.theglobe.com, today announced a strategic partnership with Simutronics, the leader in multiplayer on-line gaming, marking the first significant alliance between a Web based multi-player gaming company and a mass market consumer Web site.

After leaving AOL, Simutronics, the long time leading multiplayer gaming company, quickly identified The Globe, with over 670,000 members as a potential partner. Both bring working subscription models to the alliance with each company viewing this opportunity as a way to leverage their existing membership base and subscription services to attract users to the other's site.

To emphasize the original content of the alliance, The Globe will build customized chat rooms to accompany specific on-line games dedicated to players and fans of the multi-player games. Players will link from GemStone IV or DragonRealms to their related chat rooms in a seamless fashion, building game oriented home pages, exchanging e-mail and creating their cyber identity, all designed to develop one of many micro-communities at The Globe.

"Adding top of the line gaming to The Globe is the next natural step in our efforts to provide a value packed, full-service virtual community. Both Simutronics and our site cater to consumers’ on-line needs and are targeted for the mass market" stated Stephan Paternot, President of The Globe.

Players are logging on more than two million hours of paid play in a single month on Simutronics games. MUD-style, role playing games such as GemStone IV and DragonRealms are by far the most popular titles on-line. GemStone IV was the first on-line game to reach one million paid hours in a month.

"Successful play in GemStone IV and DragonRealms depend on interaction and community building activities with other players", stated Simutronics President and CEO David Whatley. "It complements the way The Globe synthesizes the mediums of communication to create a dynamic experience."

GemStone IV, DragonRealms, CyberStrike and Modus Operandi attract members with demographics that match those of The Globe - the coveted 18-35 year old range. According to Joel Brodie, Business Development Manager at Simutronics, "our games combined the best aspects of both chat and online gameplay which really appeals to this demographic."

"Prioritizing social interaction is the key component to a successful community", added Todd Krizelman, The Globe's CEO. "What better way to reward, maintain and attract loyal members than offer them gaming incentives from the best game in town?"

About The Globe

The Globe, founded by Krizelman and Paternot in 1994, while at Cornell University, creates an environment which focuses on social dynamics; integrating Personal Web Site Development, Globe Mail, Discussion Forums, Chat Rooms, Instant Messaging and Multi-Player Gaming for a full-service virtual community that is as real as it gets on the Web.

About Simutronics

Simutronics Corp., the leader in multiplayer online games, specializes in the design, development and management of games created specifically for collaborative play in virtual online communities. Their Internet sites can be found at gemstone.net, dragonrealms.net, cyberstrike.net and modusoperandi.net. The company holds the no. 1 market share position in online game play, competing with Kesmai, TEN, Mpath, Engage, 3DO and Electronic Arts. Founded in 1987, Simutronics Corp. is a privately held corporation with offices in St. Charles, MO and Rockville, MD.