Major Empire Interactive Titles, including Animal Paradise, Hello Kitty:
Big City Dreams, Pipe Mania, Unsolved Crimes and other soon to be announced
titles to be Exclusively Distributed by Atari, Inc.
Atari,
Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets: ATAR), an interactive entertainment company, and
Empire Interactive, an international publisher and developer of interactive
entertainment software and a subsidiary of Silverstar Holdings (Nasdaq:
SSTR) have entered into a multi-year exclusive distribution agreement. The
announcement was made today by Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc.
and Karim Farghaly, Vice President of Sales for Empire Interactive.
Under the terms of the deal, Atari, Inc. has secured distribution
rights to a number of branded, consumer friendly video game titles to be
released in North America in calendar 2008 and 2009. Three titles are
planned for launch in September 2008: Animal Paradise (Nintendo DS); Pipe
Mania (DS, PSP, PS2 and PC); and Unsolved Crimes (Nintendo DS). Hello
Kitty: Big City Dreams (Nintendo DS) is due out later in the fall. The
titles will be jointly marketed by the two companies.
"Empire's strong product lineup is a great addition to Atari's
distribution portfolio, allowing both companies the opportunity to extend
their reach to the growing mass market gaming audience," said Wilson.
"Their branded, competitively priced titles offer retailers an attractive
slate for the upcoming holiday season."
"Empire and Atari are both dedicated to providing fans with better
gaming experiences, and this new partnership will allow Empire to reach the
widest consumer audience during this upcoming holiday season," said Karim
Farghaly, Vice President of Sales for Empire Interactive. "We are confident
that Atari's North American distribution network will expand our retail
presence and maximize our title sales."
Clive Kabatznik, President and CEO of Silverstar Holdings, added,
"Partnering with a major brand like Atari will ensure a strong presence for
Empire's titles in all major North American retailers. Our business plan
calls for aggressive growth in the US and with its new, dynamic management
team, Atari is the ideal partner to help us achieve our goals."
Atari, Inc.
New York-based Atari, Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets: ATAR) publishes and
distributes interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The 1,000+
titles that are published and distributed by the Company include hard-core,
genre-defining franchises such as Test Drive(R); and mass-market and
children's franchises such as Dragon Ball Z(R). Atari, Inc. is a
majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA
(Euronext - ISIN: FR- 0010478248), an interactive games publisher in
Europe.
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment
software that has been established for 19 years. Headquartered in the UK,
Empire Interactive also has offices in the U.S., Germany, France, Spain and
Italy. The company develops and publishes a varied range of titles for all
current platforms in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Games such as Starsky &
Hutch, Big Mutha Truckers, Ford Racing and FlatOut have all enjoyed success
across the world. Its budget label, Xplosiv, is one of the fastest growing
in Europe.
Silverstar Holdings
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. (NasdaqCM:SSTR) is a leading international
publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software. It currently
owns Empire Interactive, PLC and Strategy First, Inc., a leading
development and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC.
SOURCE Atari, Inc.