DreamWorks Animation SKG & D3Publisher of America Sign Worldwide Publishing Agreement For Flushed Away
First Games Based on the Animated Feature Film Scheduled for Q4 2006
Cambridge, UK - Jan. 31st, 2006 - D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced a worldwide publishing agreement with DreamWorks Animation SKG (NYSE: DWA) for video games based on the forthcoming computer animated feature film Flushed Away. The first games are scheduled to be released for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCubeTM, Nintendo DSTM, and Game Boy® Advance in Q4 2006 to coincide with the release of the DreamWorks computer animated feature film releasing November 14, 2006.
"This agreement with DreamWorks Animation SKG is a significant milestone for D3Publisher of America and for our new operation, D3P Europe," stated Careen Yapp, vice president of licensing and business development for D3PA. "Our blueprint for success has always included both original intellectual properties, as well as licensed titles from top entertainment companies. Flushed Away will be a key title for us in 2006 and we are very pleased to be working with the DreamWorks Animation team to deliver a fun gaming experience that expands on the computer animated feature film."
"Flushed Away" is a story driven, 3rd-person action-platform game that captures the characters and humour of the film. The games will also feature new characters and environments that are unique to the game that will enrich the world of "Flushed Away." The console products will be developed by Vicious Cycle, and the handheld products will be developed by Altron and ART.
About DreamWorks Animation's "Flushed Away"
From DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features, the teams behind the worldwide hit "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," comes the computer-animated comedy "Flushed Away." Blending Aardman's trademark style and characterizations with DreamWorks' state-of-the-art computer animation, "Flushed Away" is a madcap comedy set on and beneath the streets of London.
Roddy is a decidedly upper-crust "society rat" who makes his home in a posh Kensington flat, complete with two hamster butlers named Gilbert and Sullivan. When a common sewer rate named Syd comes spewing out of the sink and decides he's hit the jackpot, Roddy schemes to rid himself of the pest by luring him into the "whirlpool." Syd may be an ignorant slob, but he's no fool, so it is Roddy who winds up being flushed away into the bustling sewer world of Ratropolis. There Roddy meets Rita, an enterprising scavenger who works the sewers in her faithful boat the Jammy Dodger. Roddy immediately wants out, or rather, up; Rita wants to be paid for her trouble; and, speaking of trouble, the villainous Toad - who royally despises all rodents - wants them iced...literally. The Toad dispatches his two hapless hench-rats, Spike and Whitey, to get the job done. When they fail, the Toad has no choice but to send to France for his cousin - that dreaded mercenary, Le Frog.
D3Publisher of Europe Ltd is a new subsidiary of D3Publisher, with headquarters in Tokyo. D3Publisher of Europe's strategic focus is on licensed and original titles from leading third-party developers that appeal to mass-market consumers or gaming enthusiasts. Based in Cambridge, UK, D3Publisher of Europe will distribute and publish software for personal computers and the major console platforms including Game Boy® Advance, Nintendo GameCubeTM, Nintendo DSTM, PlayStation® game console, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSPTM portable entertainment system and the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft. For additional information on D3Publisher of Europe and its products, visit the website at http://www.d3p.us
DreamWorks Animation is principally devoted to developing and producing computer generated, or CG, animated feature films. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, DreamWorks Animation makes high quality CG animated films meant for a broad movie-going audience. The company has theatrically released a total of nine animated feature films, including Antz, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale and Madagascar. DreamWorks Animation's newest release, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, opened in theaters October 7, 2005.
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Steve Marks
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smarks@hillandknowlton.com
Graham Day
(0207) 413 3038
graham.day@hillandknowlton.com