VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/01/13 --

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES

High Desert Gold Corporation (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:HDG)(OTCQX:HDGCF) is pleased to announce it has completed the first tranche of a brokered and non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of Cdn$489,460.

Pursuant to a brokered private placement the Company issued 2,000,000 units at a price of Cdn$0.20 per unit for aggregate proceeds of Cdn$400,000, with each unit comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of Cdn$0.23 per share until January 31, 2016, however, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the warrants if the common shares of the Company trade at or above $0.35 for ten consecutive trading days on the TSX Venture Exchange, provided that the accelerated expiry date is at least four months and one day after the date of issue of the warrants.

The Company paid to IBK Capital Corp. a cash commission of $28,000 from the proceeds of the brokered private placement and issued broker warrants entitling the holders thereof to purchase 140,000 additional units at the unit price until January 31, 2015.

Pursuant to a concurrent non-brokered private placement, South American Silver Corp. ("SASC") (TSX:SAC), a Canadian public company, exercised it pre-emptive right to participate in the financing to maintain its approximately 19.90% interest in the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company purchasing 497,000 common shares of the Company at a price of Cdn$0.18 per share for gross proceeds of Cdn$89,460.

All securities issued pursuant to the private placements are subject to a four-month regulatory hold period, which expires on June 1, 2013.

The Company plans to use the net proceeds from the private placements to fund exploration of the Company's properties and for administrative expenses and unallocated working capital.

Additional closings on the terms disclosed above may occur in the future.

ABOUT HIGH DESERT GOLD CORPORATION

The Company is a mineral exploration company that acquires and explores mineral properties, primarily gold, copper and silver, in North America. The principal property held by the Company is a 70% interest in the Gold Springs gold project situated along the border between Utah and Nevada. The Company also holds direct interests in a number of other properties including the San Antonio project in Sonora, Mexico, the Gold Lake property in New Mexico, and the Kinkaid and Pinyon properties in Nevada. The Company also has a 30.5% interest in the Canasta Dorada property in Sonora, Mexico, through its equity interest in Highvista Gold Inc.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding any additional closing(s) of the private placements. Forward-looking statements express, as at the date of this press release, the Company's plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, including the key assumptions and parameters on which such estimates are based, involve risks and uncertainties and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, changes in the capital markets, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined and other risks more fully described in the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis of Financial Position and Results of Operations, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The material assumptions that were applied in developing the forward-looking statements include the execution of the Company's existing plans and further exploration and development programs for Gold Springs, which may change due to changes in the views of the Company or if new information arises which makes it prudent to change such plans or programs. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.