ANIMATED VIRTUAL WORLD DEBUTS ON COMPUSERVE WorldsAway is Newest Settlement on Cyberfrontier San Jose, Calif., Dec. 1, 1995 -- Fujitsu Limited, the $36 billion international electronics giant, and CompuServe, the largest worldwide provider of consumer on-line services, today announced availability of WorldsAway to CompuServe subscribers around the globe. WorldsAway is a "cyberplace" where on-line users create their own animated representations -- called avatars -- and socialize with other users all over the world in a graphical landscape. Within WorldsAway, users can portray their real personalities or create unique on-line personas. They can also convey emotions through facial expressions and gestures, as well as "talk" to one another in real-time through text, as in traditional chat services. Objects in the virtual world also support personal expression and enhance world experiences -- for example; giving flowers, decorating with furniture, sharing books and use of other objects enhance avatars' abilities to express their in-world personalities. "WorldsAway is the only commercially available virtual world which offers users the combination of graphical environments, animated avatars and functional objects supported by a scaleable server, " says Tony Christopher, WorldsAway executive director. This combination provides a depth of on-line person-to-person interaction that simply doesn't exist elsewhere. " Because the service is "scaleable," the world can grow to accommodate an ever increasing number of users. The technology allows new objects and environments to be added at will and managed across different servers. In addition, new art can be temporarily added to the world to mark special occasions and holidays, such as Halloween and Christmas. Animated Virtual World Debuts On CompuServe -2 WorldsAway represents a new offering in the wide range of programming that CompuServe provides to appeal to all segments of its diverse, international membership and to remain current in the fast-evolving on-line universe. "On-line services have provided a whole new way for people to come together and form communities of interest, " says CompuServe Executive Vice President, Barry Berkov. "We're now offering graphical virtual worlds, the next level of interaction and participation. The WorldsAway world offers a unique and meaningful way for people to meet, gather and have fun." CompuServe members can access the service with a local phone call in 450 cities in North America, 33 cities in Europe and from 150 countries through gateway networks. WorldsAway is billed at CompuServe's standard rates. The monthly membership fee of $9.95 provides users with five free hours of access to WorldsAway and other CompuServe services. Additional hours are billed at $2.95 per hour. The Super Value Club offers users a CompuServe membership for $24.95 and includes 20 hours of free connect time each month. Each additional hour is $1.95. Download of the WorldsAway software is free. "Dreamscape" is the first world available within WorldsAway. Its fanciful landscape includes a city dotted with clubs, shops and fountains. The first settlers have already begun to shape what is becoming a thriving virtual community. In addition to their everyday spontaneous activities in the world, members have organized such scheduled events as treasure hunts, trivia contests, relay races -- even virtual weddings! Over time, new worlds serving different communities of interest will be developed with specialized themes, environments and objects, expanding the variety of places to visit and things to do in WorldsAway. Fujitsu will license the WorldsAway technology to business partners. "The WorldsAway technology is a powerful tool for promotion and marketing in an increasingly interactive world," says Sophie Kim, group product marketing manager. "It will enable developers to create environments that present themes and imagery attractive to their target Animated Virtual World Debuts On CompuServe -3 WorldsAway is introduced through Fujitsu's Cultural Technologies division established in San Jose, August 1994. The division was formed to develop and market multimedia technologies that extend, enhance and facilitate network computer-based interaction between people. Founded in 1935, Fujitsu Limited is the world's second- largest computer manufacturer and an international leader in telecommunications, semiconductors and other electronic devices. The company offers a broad line of information processing systems, ranging from the world's fastest supercomputers to the smallest palmtop computers. The Fujitsu group of technology, software and services companies posted global revenues of more than $36 billion in the fiscal year ending March 1995. Established in 1979, CompuServe Information Service provides a wide variety of databases and entertainment services to 3.5 million members worldwide. CompuServe offers television tie-ins, news features, consumer magazines, late-breaking news, weather and sports information, as well as extensive travel information, hobby-related forums and electronic shopping. CompuServe also offers "Internet Made Easy," a user-friendly channel into the worldwide network of computers known as the Internet. # # # Editor's Note: To access WorldsAway on CompuServe, users type "GO AWAY" from the CIM (CompuServe Information Manager) software. This brings them to the WorldsAway menu page where users can download the WorldsAway software by choosing the WORLDSAWAY SOFTWARE icon. Installation information can also be found here. Once the user has installed the WorldsAway client software, they can enter WorldsAway by choosing the ENTER WORLDSAWAY icon. Users can also download the software or get more information from the WorldsAway World Wide Web page at http://www.worldsaway.com. For fax information on WorldsAway, call (800) 770-4869 or to receive e-mail information, send an e-mail to worldsaway@ossi.com. To join CompuServe, call (800) 239-2247. more