Montreal, Quebec. June 8th, 2001 ­ Playnet.com, Cornered Rat Software and Strategy First announced today that they will be “stopping the clocks” on the free 30 day trial period they are giving players that have purchased a retail copy of World War II Online.

“We’re working to catch up with the overwhelming response to the game’s release and having to scale our infrastructure to address it. Until we are able solve some of these challenges we want people to be able to experience the game without losing days from their free trial period, ”says Al Corey, Marketing Manager for Playnet.com.

“Once players are inside the game, ”says Adam Phillips, Product Manager for Strategy First, “they are loving it! We understand the frustration many are feeling trying to access the game. We apologize and ask that they continue to be patient until these issues can be dealt with. I think they’ll discover it is well worth the wait.”

Yesterday, an announcement was made that Cornered Rat Software and Playnet.com had determined that the problems players were facing trying to get into the game were hardware related. This is still the case and team members are working around the clock to ensure that these issues are addressed as efficiently as possible.

Strategy First and Playnet.com will make an announcement to inform players of when the 30 day trial period will commence again. Until that time, players will not suffer any loss of “free online play.”

For more information, log onto www.wwiionline.com, or www.strategyfirst.com. The Strategy First forums have been set up to provide players with up-to-the-date news on the situation as it progresses.

About Playnet Inc.
Playnet, Inc is an Internet technologies company that specializes in design and development of massively multi-player online games (MMOG) at its in-house software development studio, Cornered Rat Software (CRS); and through its Playnet.com division operates an independent Internet-based publishing center and interactive entertainment destination, www.playnet.com that offers dynamic and customizable global delivery of a channelized line up of e-content, games, and advertising products through its own web sites and dozens of affiliated game and content sites. Established in April of 1999 and located in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area of Texas, Playnet is developing World War II Online™ as its flagship MMOG title by utilizing its own Unity 3D engine, proprietary game systems, and network technologies. With these revolutionary tools, Playnet is redefining the design and delivery of online entertainment.

About Strategy First
Strategy First is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of entertainment software. Established in 1991 and headquartered in historic “Old Montreal”, Strategy First has become one of the largest publishers of PC CD-ROM games in Canada. After acquiring Micomeq, a game developer located in St. Jérôme, QC., and retaining talent from Midnight Software, an award-winning development team from Ottawa, ON., Strategy First is poised to become a major force in the gaming industry. Best known for its Man of War series and Disciples: Sacred Lands, the company has also earned critical acclaim for its work on such titles as Steel Panthers I and II and Age of Rifles for Strategic Simulations Inc. Strategy First has worked with other leading companies in the software and entertainment industry; most notably, A&E Network, Lucas Arts, Cinar Films, Empire Interactive, and Strategic Simulations Inc.