Earthworm Jim Is Back
ATARI BRINGS BACK THE MIGHTY FINE, HERO FOR ALL TIME
NEW YORK NY, May 10, 2006 - In an
industry-shaking, earth moving announcement, Atari, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ATAR) has claimed online and handheld rights to the
globally celebrated Earthworm Jim video game. The Company is
planning to develop a range of video games over the next five
years for next-generation handheld and online systems.
"Atari is a company on the move, and as one of the most
beloved video game characters in history, the return of
Earthworm Jim marks an important day for Atari, the video
game industry and consumers," said Atari, Inc. Chief
Executive Officer Bruno Bonnell. "The Atari brand signifies
innovation, imagination, entertainment and most importantly,
fun. Our commitment to the Atari brand and investing in
franchises that embrace similar traits, like Earthworm Jim,
are the cornerstones in the Company's evolution."
Originally developed by Shiny Entertainment, Earthworm Jim
wiggled his way to fame across a multitude of consoles and
platforms in the 1990s for its detailed animation, polished
platform-style gameplay and wacky absurdist humor. Earthworm
Jim for next-generation handheld system, in development by
Shiny, is a side-scrolling-action-packed platform game set in
a cartoon-like, humorous and challenging world bursting with
first-class animations, 3D visuals and ear-tickling audio. As
the original set the benchmark for the bizarre and absurd,
Earthworm Jim will raise the bar on the wacky, zany and
extraordinary for today's generation of gaming.
Earthworm Jim remains true to its past while revels in all
the delights that today's technology and portable gaming
advancements offer. The story unfolds through the gameplay
situations Jim finds himself in, and through the characters
he meets and environments he explores. Jim continues his
fight against the Queen and her allies, while his love for
Princess-What's-Her-Name grows, and his ever-lasting
friendship with Peter Puppy is still a key element in his
life. Like its predecessors, the game will feature
imaginative and outrageous characters,
playground-like-open-level-designs that are ripe for
exploration, and a slew of puzzles, power-ups and zany
environments. All characters, environments and effects will
be crafted in 3D and Jim will sport a new look that is sleek
and fresh. An expanded arsenal of moves and attacks will be
available and two-player competition modes provide extended
gameplay and unique experiences.
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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 DRIVER, The
Matrix (Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo),
Stuntman and Test Drive®; and mass-market and
children's franchises such as Nickelodeon's Blue's
Clues and Dora the Explorer, 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 www.atari.com.
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"forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the
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Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this
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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
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