Players that pre-order The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will receive a bonus mission called "Codebreakers," as well as a powerful Light Plasma Pistol to start the game. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We take great pride in our track record of providing high-quality post-release content for our games,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We will continue to expand the XCOM universe by telling original stories set in the paranoia-drenched Cold War era of The Bureau.”

“The alternate 1962 universe that we’ve created for The Bureau is vast and there are many more stories to tell about the early days of XCOM,” said Morgan Gray, development director at 2K Marin. “We’re excited that our stories will provide a new perspective on the war effort, much like how our critically acclaimed Minvera’s Den DLC for BioShock 2 allowed us to present a unique perspective of Rapture.”

Players who pre-order The Bureau through any of the participating retailers will receive a bonus campaign side-mission called “Codebreakers.” In this mission, a top secret government communications facility responsible for intercepting and decoding the enemy’s transmissions has gone radio-silent. In a desperate attempt to turn the tides of the secret war, Special Agent Carter and his squad must make contact with personnel in order to bring the facility back online, eliminate any threats, and decrypt the mysterious code.

In addition to the Codebreakers side-mission, those who pre-order The Bureau through GameStop will receive the Light Plasma Pistol as an exclusive in-game item. Early Bureau research into outsider weapons technology has yielded promising results in the form of a prototype light plasma pistol. Not as bulky as its Outsider predecessor, this compact weapon fires condensed bolts of plasma and boasts a vastly improved rate-of-fire, giving players an early edge in the secret war for humanity’s survival.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is rated M for mature by the ESRB and will be available on August 20, 2013 in North America and August 23, 2013 internationally for $59.99 SRP on the Xbox 360 console, PlayStation 3 system and Windows PC. For more information, please visit Facebook, the official web site: http://erasethetruth.com, or 2K Marin’s website: http://www.2kmarin.com.

2K Marin is a 2K studio. 2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

About The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

The year is 1962, JFK is President and the Cold War has the nation gripped by fear – but a far more powerful and insidious enemy than communism is threatening America. Known only to a select few, a top-secret government unit called The Bureau begins investigating and concealing a series of mysterious attacks by an otherworldly enemy. As special agent William Carter, players call the shots, pull the trigger and lead their squad in a gripping third-person tactical shooter set within a high-stakes, covert war to protect humanity. The Bureau has been erasing the truth for decades. The time will come for the truth to be revealed.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.

About 2K Marin

Founded in 2007, 2K Marin designs and develops games under the 2K publishing label. Currently working on The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, the as yet untold tale of XCOM’s cold war era origin, 2K Marin is also well-known for developing BioShock 2 and bringing the original BioShock to new platforms. Passion, talent and experience define 2K Marin – its DNA comprised of industry veterans that have honed their craft for decades at various leading video game studios. It is this passionate, talented and experienced pool of developers that drives 2K Marin to create immersive, dynamic and engaging narrative-based triple-A experiences. For more information, visit: http://www.2kmarin.com/.

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Irrational Games, 2K Marin, 2K Australia, 2K Czech, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™ and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2K.com.

*According to 2008 - 2013 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through May 2013.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles for current and next-generation platforms, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, our ability to raise capital if needed and risks associated with international operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, in the section entitled "Risk Factors," and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130619005342/en/

Source: Take-Two Interactive

2K Scott Pytlik, 415-507-7944 pr@2Kgames.com or Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Alan Lewis (Corporate Press), 646-536-2983 alan.lewis@take2games.com or Access Communications for 2K Alexandra Ellis, 917-522-3515 aellis@accesspr.com