THQ And SEGA Bring Double Doses Of Sonic To PAL Territories
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AGOURA HILLS, CA, November 7, 2005 - THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and SEGA® Europe, Ltd. today announced that they have entered a co-publishing and distribution deal for the SEGA Double Packs on Game Boy® Advance in European PAL territories and Australia. Each value package gives gamers a great variety of Sonic's most exciting handheld adventures on a single cartridge and is expected to be available from November 2005.
"This is a great opportunity for THQ to bring great games at a fantastic price point to shoppers in time for the Christmas holiday," stated Ian Curran, senior vice president, European publishing, THQ. "The Sonic franchise in particular is extremely popular and we're pleased to be able to give consumers another opportunity to experience these exciting games."
"Given the recent release of the Game Boy Micro and the backwards compatibility of the Nintendo DS, the Game Boy platform is as relevant and popular as ever," said Mike Hayes, President & COO, SEGA Europe Ltd. "The SEGA combo packs offer two distinctly different gameplay experiences, both perfect for gaming on the go. We're excited to be able to work with THQ to bring the product to the European market."
Under the terms of the agreement, THQ will co-publish and distribute the following Game Boy Advance titles:
Sonic Advance + Sonic Battle
Sonic Advance + Sonic Pinball Party
Sonic Advance + ChuChu Rocket!
Columns Crown + ChuChu Rocket!
Sonic Pinball Party + Sonic Battle
Sonic Battle + ChuChu Rocket!
Sonic Pinball Party + Columns Crown
About the Games
Sonic Advance
The evil Dr. Eggman is at it again, with a brand new scheme to trip up Sonic and his pals. Maneuver your way through obstacles, puzzles and traps to collect the Chao Emeralds and defeat the vile Dr. Eggman before it's too late!
Sonic Pinball Party
Shoot, tilt, and flip your way through 3 vibrant pinball boards, featuring Sonic TeamTM characters, including Sonic & friends, Amigo and NiGHTS!
Sonic Battle
Sonic and pals are gearing up for some brawling action! Fight as one of nine characters including Sonic, Tails and Shadow; knock 'em dead with special attacks and team-based assaults; create and train fighting partner for 2-on-2 battles; duke it out with your friends in 4-player battles.
ChuChu Rocket!
Get ready for cat n' mouse chaos in space! Lead your mice to their get-away rockets before your rivals can sneak the space cats on board!
Columns Crown
Princess Dazzle has searched all over for the missing Magic Gems that fill in the Columns Crown. You must help her recover them from a band of Forest Thieves by beating every puzzle to unlock the hidden Gems! Can you collect them all and complete the crown?
Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Micro and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. All rights reserved.
Guy Cunis
Global PR Manager
+44 1483 767 656
gcunis@thq.com
Julie MacMedan
THQ/Investor Relations
818/871-5095
jmacmedan@thq.com
About SEGA
SEGA Europe Ltd. is the European Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe's web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.
About THQ
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located in the United States, United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Korea and Australia. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and . THQ, THQ Wireless, and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as "THQ"), including but not limited to expectations and projections related to the release and features of SEGA Double Packs on Game Boy Advance, and are based upon management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including, but not limited to economic, competitive and technological factors affecting the operations, markets, products, and pricing of THQ. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ's financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2005, and particularly the discussion of risk factors that may affect results of operations set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.