Activision announced today that the company has entered into an agreement with the U.K. � based developer, Team 17, to publish the highly anticipated title Worms� 3 and an additional yet-to-be-announced Worms title. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision has acquired multi-platform worldwide publishing and distribution rights for the game, excluding PC rights in Korea, Taiwan and China.

The first official sequel since the highly acclaimed games Worms 1 and Worms 2, Worms 3 will utilise the full power afforded by next-generation platforms, featuring ground-breaking fully deformable landscape technology, and will continue the wild humour and intensive, addictive fun that gamers expect from the Worms franchise. Worms 3 will showcase a raft of new gameplay features, while retaining all the familiar chaos of the original titles, complete with bizarre power-ups, loopy weaponry, and crazy cartoon graphics � in both single and multi-player modes. Worms 3 is expected to ship in 2003. The game has not yet received an Elspa rating.

"We are thrilled to be introducing Worms onto the next-generation console systems," states Kathy Vrabeck, executive vice president, global publishing and brand management for Activision. "The franchise has sold more than seven million units worldwide since its inception in 1995. Worms' unique humour, instant playability and addictive gameplay have remained popular across two generations of hardware with the franchise appearing on almost every platform. Now delivered in 3D, the game is sure to be even more popular than its predecessors drawing in a new generation of gamers around the globe."

"With Worms 3, we have the opportunity to strengthen an already powerful franchise and provide the definitive gaming experience within the Worms universe," adds Debbie Bestwick, commercial director of Team 17. "We look forward to forging a long-term future for the Worms franchise with Activision, a company well known for its ability to develop properties in a creative and forward-thinking fashion."