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Doublespace "Gets Game" With Online Athletes

Doublespace is providing seed funding and the technology that facilitates Online Athletes' broad band, multi-player Internet games. Additional Doublespace services to OLA will include: business strategy, brand strategy and marketing/communications.

Online Athletes is professionalizing online gaming through a variety of tools

This summer, OLA will launch the next-generation online player-ranking system where all registered professional gamers will be able to view their stats and standings by game play, frags and efficiency.

OLA's top-ranked players currently receive weekly pay checks and have had access to dedicated servers since December, 1999. In the near future, OLA will provide accurate player tracking and participation on corporate-sponsored teams. OLA will use proprietary technology to create advertising sponsored arenas' and in-game rewards.

Industry sources estimate a current base of 8.5 million online gamers--a market expected to grow to 21 million by 2004. With the completion of OLA'S player-ranking technology, OLA will be tracking over 6 million of these online gamers on more than 90,000 servers.

``Reflecting the passion of online gamers, we are creating an interface as exciting as the games themselves,'' said Jane Kosstrin, Doublespace's co-president. ``Using flash technology and cutting-edge design, Doublespace is creating a site where all professional gamers can have their own personal player pages --allowing them to access all their vital information at any time.''

``Our business strategy is focused on sophisticated, hard-core online gamers with an appetite for the newest, most up-to-date technology,'' Kosstrin continued. ``They have the fastest computers, high-speed Internet access, and the best peripherals. So why should the gaming site be anything less than state-of-the-art?''

``We see the Doublespace partnership as the move we have to make to solidify our stature in the online gaming community,'' said Ben Gray, co-CEO and co-founder, Online Athletes, Inc.

`` Joining our competitive strengths -- opportunities for corporate sponsorships, broad industry recognition, and proprietary technology -- with Doublespace's impressive track record on emerging digital business will aid us in attaining this goal.''

About Online Athletes, Inc.

Online Athletes, Inc. (OLA) is well known in the online gaming community as the premier source for high quality neutral game servers, essentially making it the headquarters for serious online gaming. The company currently hosts the most popular Quake 3 servers in the world, some topping the charts with 475,000 minutes of playtime per week. Online Athletes, Inc. also hosts extremely popular Half-Life, Tribes and Unreal Tournament game servers. (OLA's servers are the fastest currently available.) The Company successfully raised $871,000 in its seed round of financing, and has strategic alliances with Maritek, RPM Studios, the Online Gaming League, and Sierra.

EDITOR's NOTE: OLA recently (June 14) announced its partnership with the Online Gaming League. Under this new agreement, Online Gaming League members soon (by July 1) will have access to 80 OLA servers that meet the strict standards to be OGL-sanctioned. OLA also will provide maps and modifications to the games.

About Doublespace

Doublespace, an award-winning Internet incubator/solutions company with its roots in print design and product development, was founded in 1979. The Silicon Alley-based company makes investments in dot-com companies and provides business strategy, brand strategy, end-to-end web solutions, marketing communications and network solutions to dot-coms looking to distinguish themselves through creativity and vision. Doublespace combines seed capital and development services for emerging digital businesses, including projects that may have been originated and developed by Doublespace.

Doublespace's desire to fund innovative, unique companies stems from its extensive experience and expertise in successfully launching award-winning, cutting-edge concepts since its founding, including The Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music's annual cutting edge festival of avant-garde performing arts; Crunch Fitness; Vibe Magazine; ESPN 2; Diamond Technology Partners' Context Magazine; and Riddell Sports' varsity.com. The principal investors behind Doublespace are Angelo Gordon, Apex Investment Partners, Rizvi Interests, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners and Sam Plum.

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