Atari Announces First Ever DUNGEONS & DRAGONS(R) Game for PSP(TM) System
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Tactics(TM) to Hit Retail in Holiday 2006
NEW YORK, May 2: Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR)
today announced the development of DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS®:
TacticsTM for
the PSPTM
(PlayStation®Portable) system, marking the
first time the highly- coveted D&D® license has ever graced a
next-generation portable system. D&D®: Tactics authentically
utilizes the D&D 3.5 rule-set created by Wizards of
Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) and allows
players to take a party of six adventurers into a wide
variety of dangerous environments to experience deep and
exciting turn-based action. Developed by Kuju Entertainment,
D&D: Tactics is not yet rated and is planned for a 2006
holiday season release. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is under
license from the Hasbro Properties Group, the intellectual
property development arm of Hasbro, Inc.
"DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Tactics will offer role-playing game
fans and PSP system owners the only chance to bring this
fantasy-based game wherever they go," said Rick Mehler,
Director of Marketing, Atari, Inc. "With wireless cooperative
game modes, downloadable content, customizable characters and
the acclaimed 3.5 rule-set, Atari is thrilled to extend the
D&D world to the handheld market."
"The PSP system has proven to be a very exciting platform to
work with and an ideal choice to expand the world of DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS within the interactive gaming space," said
Jerry Chu, Senior Licensing Manager, Hasbro. "Making full use
of the PSP system's unique capabilities, gamers will be
granted an accurate D&D experience and story combined
with a robust multiplayer system and the ability to extend
gameplay thru downloadable content."
D&D: Tactics offers an original, intriguing DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS storyline. Players take on the role of a mortal
child caught in a conflict of two competing dragons striving
for godhood. Alignment is critical, as it affects the end of
the story and allows players to change from good to evil, or
the other way around, depending on which quests they choose.
Gamers will play through a series of adventures, completing
various objectives along the way. D&D: Tactics offers all
the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS base character classes including
Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter Monk, Paladin,
Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer and Wizard. Five Prestige Classes are
available, as are two Psionic classes, the Psion and the
Psychic Warrior. Players will be able to customize their
characters and store as many as their memory stick can
handle.
D&D: Tactics will take full advantage of the PSP system's
wireless capability and offer gamers a multiplayer mode. The
co-operative mode allows a group of gamers to play the
single-player campaign with their friends as a team. In
Deathmatch mode a series of special arenas, such as the
randomly- generated and populated Dungeon Bash, allows
players to fight one another with their saved parties.
D&D Tactics also features the ability to utilize
downloadable content helping extend the play in the form of
new dungeon maps.
About THE HASBRO PROPERTIES GROUP
The Hasbro Properties Group (HPG), the intellectual property
development arm of Hasbro, Inc., (NYSE: HAS), translates one
of the industry's richest portfolios of brands into a world
of fun and excitement for children and adults globally.
Through a host of publishing, digital media, lifestyle and
entertainment platforms, HPG is able to surround fans
worldwide with consumer products that expand Hasbro's core
brands, such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, MY LITTLE
PONY, MONOPOLY, G.I. JOE, TONKA and PLAYSKOOL.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops
interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest
third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software
in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard- core,
genre-defining franchises such as DRIVERTM, The MatrixTM (Enter The Matrix and The
Matrix: Path of Neo), StuntmanTM and Test
Drive®; and
mass- market and children's franchises such as Nickelodeon's
Blue's CluesTM
and Dora the ExplorerTM, and Dragon Ball
Z®. Atari, Inc.
is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames
Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR- 0000052573), the
largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more
information, visit http://www.atari.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
With the exception of the historical information contained in
this release, the matters described herein contain certain
"forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the
Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this
release are not promises or guarantees and are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results
to differ materially from those anticipated. These statements
are based on management's current expectations and
assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and
changes in circumstances. We caution you not to place undue
reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. Actual
results may vary materially from those expressed or implied
by the statements herein. Some of the factors which could
cause our results to differ materially include the following:
the loss of key customers, such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy,
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and related product release schedules; inability to secure
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changing industry technology, including new console
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termination or modification of our agreements with hardware
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filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended March 31, 2005 and our quarterly reports on Form
10-Q, as amended.
The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking
statements to conform the statement to actual results or
changes in the Company's expectations.
ATARI, the ATARI logo, and classic Atari game titles and
logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari
Interactive, Inc. or its affiliates.
"PSP" is a trademark and "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family
logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc. Memory Stick DuoTM may be required (sold
separately). Certain limitations apply to Wi-Fi compatible
connectivity. See manual for details. Player responsible for
Wi-Fi compatible fees.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, and TACTICS are trademarks
of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the USA and other countries.
Used with permission.
*This title has not yet been concept approved by Sony
Computer Entertainment America.