S&H2 Licensing Agreement
September 24 2003 - 3:00AM
UK Regulatory
RNS Number:0807Q
Empire Interactive PLC
24 September 2003
Embargoed until 07.00 24 September 2003
EMPIRE INTERACTIVE PLC
("Empire" or "the Company")
Empire signs exclusive deal with Sony Pictures Consumer Products for
Starsky & HutchTM video game sequel
Empire, the leading AIM listed computer games developer and publisher, announced
today it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer
Products to develop a sequel to the Starsky & HutchTM video game.
The new game will include new city locations, enhanced graphics and classic
music tracks from the 70's and a key new game play feature, which will allow
villains to be chased on foot together with new spectacular car chases. It will
be published for all current video game consoles and PCs.
Ian Higgins, CEO of Empire said about the licensing deal: "After the recent
success of Starsky & HutchTM we are delighted to have acquired these sequel game
rights. This is an important franchise for the company and with the new
Hollywood movie due next spring the awareness and interest will increase
significantly. We look forward to building this into an even bigger hit than the
original game."
"We're very pleased to be continuing our licensing deal with Empire
for the Starsky & Hutch property," said Al Ovadia, Executive Vice President,
Sony Pictures Consumer Products. "Empire really captured the essence of the
Starsky & Hutch property in the first instalment of the video game and we're
confident that the new game will further the property's global appeal."
-Ends-
For further information please contact:
Empire Interactive
Ian Higgins, CEO 020 8343 7337
Weber Shandwick Square Mile
Christian Taylor-Wilkinson / Christian San Jose 020 7067 0700
Notes to editors:
About Empire
Empire is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software that has
been established for 16 years. The company floated on the Alternative Investment
Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange in July 2000. Headquartered in the UK,
Empire also has offices in the US, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The company
develops and publishes a varied range of titles for the Sony Playstation, Sony
Playstation 2, Microsoft XboxTM, NintendoTM Gamecube, NintendoTM GBA and
multimedia PC markets in the US, Europe and Asia. Further information about
Empire and its products can be found at: http://www.empireinteractive.com
About Sony Pictures Consumer Products
Sony Pictures Consumer Products (SPCP), a division of Sony Pictures
Entertainment (SPE), is based in Los Angeles and London. SPCP handles the
merchandising and branding efforts for some of the most recognized properties in
film and television and, through Spider-Man Merchandising, L.P., a limited
partnership with Marvel Enterprises, the upcoming motion picture Spider-Man 2TM
and the "Spider-ManTM" animated series. Additionally, SPCP properties include
such theatrical titles as the highly anticipated Underworld and Ultraviolet, the
Academy Award winning short, The ChubbChubbsTM, television properties such as
"Astro BoyTM", "Stuart LittleTM" animated, and "Jackie Chan AdventuresTM." SPE
is a division of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based
Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production
and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content
creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment
acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new
entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed
entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the
World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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