Frontier unveils a ‘cracking’ new Wallace and Gromit game.
‘The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ developed in close collaboration with Oscar®-winning Aardman Animations.
CAMBRIDGE, UK - April 28th, 2005 - Frontier Developments Ltd. ('Frontier'), the leading independent games developer, announced today that it has been collaborating closely with Aardman Animations Ltd. ('Aardman') on the development of a major new console game, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", starring the much-loved, Oscar®-winning, claymation duo Wallace & Gromit.
The multi-format game's development has been kept under wraps for the past year and is due for release day and date, later this year, with Aardman's hotly-anticipated forthcoming feature-length film "Curse of the Were-Rabbit". In a unique move for both companies, the 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' game has been jointly produced by Aardman and Frontier - licensing to a publisher is currently underway.
"Frontier have done an amazing job of bringing Wallace & Gromit and the world of 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' film to consoles. Interacting with Wallace and Gromit in a videogame brings an extra dimension to people's experience of our characters and the world they inhabit." said Nick Park, triple Oscar®-winning creator of Wallace and Gromit. "The game is technically and visually impressive - it is enormous fun in its own right and perfectly evokes the charm and humour of our dynamic duo."
Frontier Chairman and games industry legend David Braben enthused, 'Working directly and very closely with Aardman has allowed us an unprecedented level of freedom and creativity. Frontier's leading edge proprietary technology and gameplay expertise combined with Aardman's undisputed character and story creation talents are a winning combination. We've once again thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with Aardman.'
"Curse of the Were-Rabbit" game is Frontier's second collaboration with Aardman on a Wallace and Gromit videogame, following 2003's BAFTA-nominated "Project Zoo" console title. The dynamic duo are brought bang up-to-date using Frontier's in-house technology, including advanced content streaming to deliver huge, seamless environments and sophisticated AI.
The game takes its cue from the content and plot of "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" movie, and features a rich cast of non-player characters for the player to experience, set in a full realisation of Wallace & Gromit's West Wallaby home town and other locations in the area, both from the film and new to the duo's adventures. The game allows either one or two player co-operative mode play, with a selection of the film's leading characters - including both Wallace and Gromit .
The player is challenged to unravel the amazing secret of the Were-Rabbit on their day and night journey through the vast locations, pitting their wits against a shadowy adversary and frantically battling his minions in a barnstorming adventure. Naturally help is, as ever, at hand from a superb array of "cracking contraptions" concocted by that master of invention; Wallace.
Further information on Frontier including details of current vacancies and how to apply directly can be found on Frontier's web-site, www.frontier.co.uk.
About Frontier
Frontier is based in Cambridge, UK and is one of the games industry's leading independent developers, having built upon the innovative creations of founder David Braben, co-author of the seminal 'Elite'. Frontier works with a number of top publishers and is currently developing for PlayStation2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, and mobile platforms such as Pocket PC and Nokia Series 60 phones. Additionally, Frontier is developing leading-edge proprietary technology for the next generation of games consoles.
Frontier has a proven reputation for original game design and commercial success, and aims to revolutionise perceptions of what gaming is all about by using innovative technical and artistic approaches on all leading-edge gaming platforms. It received three BAFTA nominations and several awards for its recent console games "Dog's Life" and "Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo", and scored a Christmas 2004 No.1 position in the USA with its RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 PC, which has also been the recipient of various awards and a prestigious Acadamy of Interactive Arts and Sciences nomination.
More information on Frontier can be found at www.frontier.co.uk
The Frontier logo is a trademark of Frontier Developments Ltd. Wallace and Gromit is a registered trademark of Aardman Animations Ltd. All other trademarks and Copyright are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.
All media enquiries please contact:
Alison Beasley, Lincoln Beasley PR
T: 01608 645756 M: 07966 449130 E: Alison@lincolnbeasley.co.uk
About Aardman
David Sproxton and Peter Lord co founded Aardman in the late seventies and have guided the studio to its present day position as a world leader in 3D animation. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterized and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio's work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercials productions. Aardman has been nominated for an Oscar® seven times, and has won three.
Aardman produces films and television series for the international market, their debut feature film, Chicken Run has grossed over $220M worldwide ($104M in the US) and their series of Wallace and Gromit short films have won countless awards including 2 Oscars®. The first Wallace and Gromit feature film is currently in production and is due to be released worldwide in October 2005.
Aardman also produce award winning television commercials for the world market.