Microsoft announced today that Ninety-Nine Nights will hit store shelves in the United States in August 2006. The Xbox 360 exclusive, developed by gaming luminaries Tetsuya Mizuguchi ("Lumines,""Meteos") and SanYoun Lee (“Kingdom Under Fire”), launched to high acclaim in Japan and Korea earlier this spring.

Published by Microsoft and developed by Phantagram and Q Entertainment, “Ninety-Nine Nights” is an epic fantasy action game that features a sweeping story, stunning graphics and physics, seven playable characters, and epic-scale battles that include hundreds of on-screen enemies.

“Ninety-Nine Nights” follows the journeys of seven warriors. In a struggle between light and dark, a new world order is established after the destruction of the “mysterious power stone.” Warriors are destined to battle in a place far beyond their imagination, as a magnificent story spun of drama and emotion unfolds from multiple perspectives.

Q Entertainment, Inc. was founded in October 2004 by CEO Shuji Utsumi and CCO (Chief Creative Officer) Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Their business areas include creating and producing entertainment content centering on games.

Phantagram was founded in 1994 by CEO SangYoun Lee. In 2004, Phantagram won the “Prime Minister Award,” “Excellent Graphic Award,” and the “Excellent Audio Award” in the Korean Game Grand Prix for its Xbox hit “Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders.” They have won more than 20 awards hosted by various magazines and Web sites throughout the world.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.