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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FUJITSU INTERACTIVE'S MAGICAL "FIN FIN" SPREADS ITS WINGS TO FLY INTO THE HEARTS OF CHILDREN

New Cyber Pet Companion Coming to Home PCs

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 31, 1997 - Turn on your PCs, kids, Fin FinTM's coming in for a landing. Half-dolphin, half-bird, Fin Fin is the star of "Fin Fin on Teo, the Magic PlanetTM," Fujitsu Interactive's debut CD-ROM title coming to stores in April. Fin Fin is the world's first commercially available, computer-generated Believable Agent incorporating Artificial Life technology. As a "Believable Agent," Fin Fin, astonishingly, is capable of feeling emotion, learning, and developing a relationship with children. Kids as young as four years old can walk up to the computer and start talking to the little critter, watching him fly and eat and respond to them. Over time, the child and her cyber pet can actually become friends. Thus, Fin Fin entertains and at the same time teaches positive social interaction skills. As a bonus, Fin Fin's brand new, child-friendly user interface helps even tiny tots become comfortable with computing.

"With Fin Fin, we've created an entirely new kind of entertainment experience for children, especially for girls," said Yoshi Matsumoto, senior vice president of Fujitsu Interactive. "We've taken interaction to the next level with a seemingly alive creature who actually feels and responds to emotion. We think that learning to care for a virtual friend will help children come to understand, in a completely new, interesting and fun way, how their behavior can affect other beings."

A Whole New World

Each relationship in life is unique. It's the same with Fin Fin because, like a child, he is an independent, unpredictable being with a rich emotional life. He is delighted by kindness and saddened by cruelty. If someone shouts at him, he might squeal with fear and retreat to the safety of his nest. But if a child is nice to him, Fin Fin might launch into acrobatic flying dances or burst into song (he knows more than 60 haunting melodies). Over time, he and the child can become close friends.

But his exact responses can vary depending on his inner mood or what is going on in the world of Teo around him. He may suddenly fly off to one of Teo's rivers to dive for fish or a bath or a drink. Or he might become distracted by a passing Shellbeetle (a winged insect that looks like a clam), a Treecat (a cross between a monkey and a cat), or any of the many other strange yet weirdly familiar animals that inhabit Teo's rich ecosystem. When a child offers Fin Fin a bright red Lemo fruit he might take it, or he might prefer to go after Tsubu nuts, Yaika leaves or fish - for Teo's flora is as varied as its fauna.

Just as Fin Fin responds to kindness, he is moved by the beauty of his world - of the geckoso, a white flower that blooms in the moonlight, of rainbows, of auroras. That is the magic of Fin Fin on Teo, the Magic Planet. It takes a rainforest-covered world from far out in space and brings it down to earth for the enjoyment and enrichment of children.

Technology So Advanced It's Child's Play

In Fin Fin, Fujitsu Ltd., the largest computer company in Japan, in association with the Carnegie Mellon Institute, has combined high-caliber animation with eight years and $30 million worth of research and development into the most advanced Artificial Life and Believable Agent technology.

Interestingly, though the technology is so advanced, artists have led the project from its inception. The selection of Makoto Tezka, a well-known director of Japanese films, as Executive Producer of the Teo Project, underlines the importance of Fin Fin's believability, especially in his behavior and emotional capacity.

The result is a seemingly alive creature that thinks for himself, feels emotions and responds to his magical world, planet Teo - as well as to people. And now Fujitsu has launched San Francisco-based Fujitsu Interactive to bring Fin Fin and other multimedia titles to the U.S. consumer market.

The technology of Fin Fin is so advanced that it's simple to use, even for very young children. No mouse or keyboard is needed. Kids interact with Fin Fin using a sensory input device called a SmartSensorTM, which mounts on top of the PC and acts as the eyes and ears of Fin Fin, bringing the sounds and motions of the user into Fin Fin's world. It's a natural interface for children -portending the shape of things to come as computer interfaces become ever-simpler to use.

Product Availability

Fin Fin on Teo, the Magic Planet is available immediately from software retail stores. The suggested retail price is $59.95.

About Fujitsu Interactive

Fujitsu Interactive's corporate mission is to be a world leader in publishing innovative current and next-generation computer-based multimedia software, with a focus on development in its pioneering new category, "Artificial Life."The company's long-term goal is to redefine and transform the computer-user interface and the computing experience from interactive to experiential - enabling users to actually build a relationship with computer characters through Artificial Life technology.

Incorporated in May 1996 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Fujitsu Interactive, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujitsu, Ltd., Japan's largest computer company.

Contacts:

Mary Lynn Slattery
Fujitsu Interactive
Tel: 415.538.2935
e-mail: mslattery@fii.fujitsu.com 		Kelly Cytron
UpStart Communications
Tel: 510.420.7986
e-mail: kcytron@upstart.com
Copyright(C) 1997 Fujitsu Limited. All rights reserved. Fujitsu(R) and the Fujitsu logo are registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited. Fujitsu Interactive and the Fujitsu Interactive logo are trademarks of Fujitsu Interactive, Inc. Fin Fin on Teo the Magic PlanetTM, Fin FinTM and SmartSensorTM are trademarks of Fujitsu Interactive, Inc. Microsoft(R), Microsoft Windows(R) and the Microsoft Windows(R) logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.