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GigaMedia Scores Hot Game Title -- Hellgate: London(R)

2006-12-14 19:50 1646

Expected to be The Monster Hit of 2007

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GigaMedia

Limited ("GigaMedia" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: GIGM) announced today that

it has secured an exclusive license to offer and operate the highly

anticipated action game Hellgate: London(R) in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

"Hellgate: London is the hottest new game for 2007 -- created by the

same team of game giants that brought Diablo and Warcraft to the world,"

stated GigaMedia CEO Arthur Wang. "Hellgate: London is going to be a

monster hit."

Hellgate: London(R) is the creation of the fabled Flagship Studios and

is distributed by leading international game publisher HanbitSoft, Inc.

"Flagship and HanbitSoft are the Steven Spielberg and Pixar of the game

world," stated CEO Wang. "Hellgate: London is their next-generation product

and we are looking at a blockbuster."

Flagship Studios was founded in 2003 by a team of executives and

developers renowned for numerous #1-selling games and multiple Game-of-the-

Year awards to their credit, including the worldwide best-selling Diablo(R),

Starcraft(R) and Warcraft(R) games.

HanbitSoft is a leading international publisher of online games, with a

long track record of successful large scale multi-player games such as

Granado Espada, Neo Steam, Neo Baseball and PangYa.

"We are excited to partner with GigaMedia and its leading FunTown casual

game portal," stated Tony Park, President of International Business at

HanbitSoft. "The combination of HanbitSoft's gaming publishing track record

and GigaMedia's large player base and operating team ensures that Hellgate:

London will be a huge success in Asia."

"Joining with HanbitSoft and Flagship Studios is joining the dream

team," explained GigaMedia CEO Wang. "We are thrilled and expect this

partnership will significantly accelerate and extend our robust revenue and

earnings growth in 2007 and beyond."

GigaMedia will operate Hellgate: London(R) in partnership with Cyber

Gateway Limited, a leading regional online game operator, pursuant to a

strategic joint venture in which GigaMedia holds a 70 percent interest, and

Cyber Gateway 30 percent. For the three-year exclusive operating license,

the joint venture will pay an aggregate licensing fee and minimum guarantee

of US$9 million.

Hellgate: London(R) is the marquee title from premier developer Flagship

Studios. Since the game was announced in 2004, it has received an

overwhelming amount of attention including its appearance on more than 30

magazine covers worldwide in addition to multiple industry nominations and

awards.

Hellgate: London(R) is an action-driven role-playing game that combines

the depth and customizability of role-playing games with the immersive

excitement and action of first-person-shooter games. In the game, the

player creates a heroic character, completes quests and battles through

innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and

branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly

customizable appearances and a massive variety of randomly generated

equipment allow players to create their own unique heroes. With dynamically

created items, chance events and story-driven quests, no two gaming

experiences are ever the same.

Set in the year 2038, Hellgate: London(R) introduces a world devastated

by a demon invasion and a desolate city scorched by hellfire where mankind

has gone underground to survive. The mystic sanctuary of the underground

system provides players safe conduct throughout the sprawling metropolis of

London as they seek to preserve the bloodline of man, gain a foothold

against the minions of darkness, and destroy the gates of hell.

About GigaMedia

GigaMedia Limited (Singapore registration number: 199905474H) is a major

provider of online entertainment software and services. GigaMedia develops

software for the online entertainment markets, including the global online

gaming market. GigaMedia's FunTown game portal is a leading Asian casual

games portal and the world's largest online MahJong game site in terms of

revenue. GigaMedia also operates a broadband ISP providing Internet access

services to consumers and corporate subscribers in Taiwan. More information

on GigaMedia can be obtained from http://www.gigamedia.com.tw .

About HanbitSoft, Inc.

HanbitSoft, Inc. is a leading game publisher and developer based in

Korea. Established in 1999, HanbitSoft is the global publisher of numerous

leading MMOGs, including Granado Espada, Neo Steam, Neo Baseball, Hellgate:

London(R), Guardians Online, Tantra, PangYa, Survival Project and WYD.

HanbitSoft also develops MMOGs both in-house and by investing in Korean and

overseas studios such as IMC Games, Flagship Studios, Auran Studio, and

Studio Mars. For more information about HanbitSoft, Inc., log onto

www.hanbitsoft.com .

About Flagship Studios

Flagship Studios is a creator of innovative entertainment software,

designing games that focus on ease of play, replayability, and fun. The

studio was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard

North(R) and represents the creators of the worldwide, best-selling Diablo

(R) franchise. With members that are renowned within the gaming industry,

Flagship Studios embodies a team that has worked together for over a decade

and have numerous #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards to

their credit. For more information about Flagship Studios, log onto

www.flagshipstudios.com .

The statements included above and elsewhere in this press release that

are not historical in nature are "forward-looking statements" within the

meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation

Reform Act of 1995. GigaMedia cautions readers that forward-looking

statements are based on the Company's current expectations and involve a

number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially

from those contained in such forward-looking statements. Information as to

certain factors that could cause actual results to vary can be found in

GigaMedia's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the United States

Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2006.

For further information contact:

Brad Miller

Investor Relations Director

Tel: +886-2-3518-1107

Email: brad.miller@gigamedia.com.tw

Source: GigaMedia Limited
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