Wins a $9.5 million, three-year managed hosting contract from Microsoft Game Studios; to support Xbox 360 and multiplayer online games.

AT&T, yesterday announced that it has won a $9.5 million, three-year managed hosting contract from Microsoft Game Studios to support various online experiences and the infrastructure for the multiplayer online role-playing games.

The online games include the latest for both Windows and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. AT&T will support multiplayer online games, where tens of thousands of users play simultaneously from points around the globe which are bandwidth-intensive applications on the Internet.

The innovative 'Gotham TV' feature of Xbox 360's highly anticipated title Project Gotham Racing 3, and the highly anticipated Games for Windows title Vanguard are two of the MGS online gaming applications that will be hosted at an AT&T Internet Data Center.

"We chose AT&T because of its extensive experience in supporting online gaming companies and their ability to deliver our games globally," said Rick Gauthier, Microsoft Game Studios' Group Operations Manager. "With AT&T managing the system infrastructure, it will allow us to focus our energies on managing our applications and looking at new technologies," added Gauthier.