Empire Interactive To Publish and Distribute Hit Ultimate Board Game Collection Across Europe
LONDON, ENGLAND, October 24th, 2007 - Empire Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Silverstar Holdings (NASDAQ: SSTR), today announced it has signed an agreement with Valcon Games LLC to publish and distribute in Europe and all PAL territories the Ultimate Board Game Collection, a compendium of classic board and table top games for the PlayStation 2, PSP (PlayStation Portable) and Wii.
Containing 20 of the most recognisable and popular board and table top games played by families around the world (see list below), Ultimate Board Game Collection is already a huge hit in the US, having sold almost half a million copies to date.
"We are excited to work with Empire to bring these classic titles to the European market," said Glenn Halseth, CEO of Valcon Games. "Given Empire's direct marketing distribution network across Europe, we're confident they can reproduce the phenomenal success we've enjoyed in North America."
Parents are often concerned about video games full of violence, but they can rest assured that the Ultimate Board Game Collection is full of good, clean family fun that everyone will enjoy. Each of the games will be fully customisable to suit any player's tastes with different rule sets, environments, piece types and sound tracks. Also, every game will also have specific goals and award trophies to players who master them.
Ian Higgins, CEO Empire Interactive said, "We're delighted to bring this collection of classic board and table games to European households. Publishing on a range of formats gives us an opportunity to fulfill the sales potential and family wide appeal of these timeless games and the Wii console provides the perfect demographic for our first launch on this platform."
Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings, added, "Ultimate Board Game Collection is our first Wii release and another milestone in our plan to maximize product potential across all game formats and leverage the power of Empire's unique European distribution network. This is also a significant move for us into the casual game market and the Ultimate Board Game Collection is a fantastic title to lead this initiative."
Key Features
24 Classic board game style games, PSP, (20 on PS2). Enhanced physical gesturing and unique game play via the hand held wireless controller on Wii (12 games). Customise each game by selecting different rules, environments, piece type and sound tracks. Play against the CPU or up to 6 other players. User selectable sound track; chose from 4 different styles. CPU opponent has multiple difficulty levels. Includes 100 different Jigsaw pictures. Each game has a trophy that can be unlocked by completing a specific goal. Can you unlock all twenty trophies? Suitable for players of all ages. Games Include: Chess Quatro Checkers Enigma Backgammon Reversi Snakes & Ladders Parcheesi Dice Dominoes Go Chinese Checkers Word Cubes Mahjong Solitaire Anagrams Concentration 3D Tic-Tac-Toe Mancala Jigsaws Ultimate Board Game Collection will be released Q1 2008. RRP tbc.For further information contact:
Doug Johns, 1-UP Media
Tel: +44 1243 784456;
Mob: +44 7711 086573;
Email: doug@1-upmedia.com
Notes for Editors
About Valcon Games:
Valcon Games is a leading game publisher in North America, with a number of hit titles like the Ultimate Board Game Collection, Real World Golf, and Suzuki Super-Bikes II: Racing Challenge, and on a range of game platforms. For more information about the company, visit www.valcongames.com.
About Empire Interactive:
Empire Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software that has been established for 18 years. Headquartered in the UK, Empire Interactive also has offices in the US, Germany, Italy, France and Spain. The company develops and publishes a varied range of titles for all current platforms in the US, Europe and Asia. Games such as Starsky & Hutch, Big Mutha Truckers, Ford Racing and FlatOut have all enjoyed success across the world. Its budget label, Xplosiv, is one of the fastest growing in Europe. Further information about Empire Interactive and its products can be found at www.empireinteractive.com
About Silverstar Holdings:
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: SSTR), focusing on acquiring controlling positions in high-growth retail-driven and fee-based electronic game businesses that stand to benefit from the economies of scale generated by the Internet and other technology-related platforms. It currently owns Empire Interactive PLC and Strategy First Inc. as well as a stake in Magnolia Broadband.
Strategy First Inc. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC. Magnolia Broadband is a fabless semiconductor company and innovator of radio frequency (RF) solutions for the cellular industry.
The statements which are not historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks associated with the uncertainty of future financial results, additional financing requirements, development of new products, regulatory approval processes, the impact of competitive products or pricing, technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and other uncertainties detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Alliance Advisors, LLC
Alan Sheinwald, President
(914) 669-0222 or asheinwald@allianceadvisors.net