Fans of the Die Hard movies can Yippie Ky-Yay for joy as leading UK developer Bits Studios announces that it has signed a deal with Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International to distribute its forthcoming Die Hard title, currently being developed under licence from Fox Interactive, throughout Europe. The first-person action adventure is due for release on Game Cube during 2002.

Die Hard Game Cube (working title) is a first-person shooter unlike any other. Featuring an original plot set a few years after the events in Die Hard: With A Vengeance, players will battle through several distinct locations – including a return to the original Nakatomi Plaza, now completely finished – and encounter a host of unique and inventive set pieces designed to bring the Die Hard world vividly to life.

"We are delighted to have completed this deal with Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International," says Foo Katan, Managing Director and CEO of Bits Studios. "With a title as important as Die Hard, it was important that we picked a partner with the necessary muscle to do the game justice – and VUIPI is just the company. Die Hard Game Cube will really push the first-person action adventure genre into new ground. With VUIPI on board, we aim to set new standards by which all others will be judged – both critically and commercially.

Die Hard Game Cube will further the genre with powerful cinematic effects. In terms of plot, it is way ahead of anything in development, with its narrative twisting and turning to an explosive conclusion. Non-player characters populate the game world and play an integral part to the adventure, as McClane battles to find allies among a world of adversaries.

McClane himself is blessed with a huge array of moves. From stealthily capturing terrorists and forcing enemies to disarm, to running into team fights with guns blazing and saving hostages he’s the very definition of action hero. As the game is being specifically designed for Game Cube, the controls are being implemented with console gamers in mind.

Furthermore, like the films, Die Hard Game Cube will feature moments of sheer exhilaration combined with situations which demand extreme stealth – all handled with a seamless control method designed to let the player combat the opposition, not wrestle with the joypad.

Die Hard Game Cube is due for release during 2002. Further details - including the first screen shots - will be released shortly.