“The pre-sales of Civilization III have really taken off”, said Ron Seger, vice president, product line sales for Infogrames. “Early on we met with some of our retail partners about a special edition of the game that would be limited to a small production run. The positive response to this idea was universal. We put together the limited edition for those fans that want more in their Civilization III experience. The gamers who score one of these tin-box limited edition games on launch day could have a real collector’s item.”

'Civilization III is a highly anticipated title and the EB pre-sell program is off to a great start,” said Jerry Madaio, vice president of merchandising - PC for Electronics Boutique. “Reserve orders for both the regular version and the limited edition have doubled over the last week as a result of our in-store efforts and the buzz surrounding this game.'

'We’re thrilled with the response we’ve seen so far ­ demand for this product is outstripping supply,” said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of marketing for Infogrames’ Beverly Label. “Though we think we will be able to provide Sid Meier with a complimentary copy of the limited edition, all other bets are off!'

The limited edition of Sid Meier’s Civilization III comes packaged in a tin box that contains an exclusive video chronicling the making of Civilization III, a second video celebrating Sid Meier’s induction into the IDSA Hall of Fame, designer’s notes from Sid Meier and Jeff Briggs, a fold-out tech tree, and the Civilization III game and manual.

Through its ten-year lifespan the Civilization series has sold more than four million copies since it was first introduced in 1991. The series’ creator, world-renowned, hall-of-fame game designer Sid Meier and the team at Firaxis Games, have returned to work on the newest Civilization game five years after Civ II captured the imaginations of gamers around the world and set the standard as what computer gaming magazines have called “the greatest strategy game of all time”.

In Civilization III players choose one of 16 fledgling civilizations and, if they are masterful, guide them to global domination through development of technologies, cultural achievement, trade with other civilizations and all the other skills that make a civilization great.

Civilization III is available for pre-order at Electronics Boutique, CompUSA, Best Buy, GameStop.com and Amazon.com. The estimated retail price of the standard product is $49.99 and the special limited edition is $59.99.

About FIRAXIS Games
FIRAXIS Games, home of legendary designer Sid Meier, creates fun, intelligent computer games that live in the imaginations of people the world over. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, FIRAXIS has created such critically acclaimed games as Sid Meier's Gettysburg!, Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier’s Alien Crossfire and Sid Meier’s Antietam!. The company is currently in production on the highly anticipated Sid Meier’s Civilization III (to be published by Infogrames) and Sid Meier’s SimGolf (to be published by Electronic Arts). For more information on FIRAXIS Games visit THEIR WEBSITE.