Juiced(TM) Rolls Out of THQ Fine-Tuned, Tricked Out and Ready to Race
Street Racer Blends Key Elements of Genre With Never-Before Seen Features, Allowing Drivers to Build Their Car, Build Their Crew and Put It All on the Line
CALABASAS HILLS, Calif., June 13, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- THQ Inc. (Nasdaq: THQI) today announced the release of the high-octane street racer JuicedTM for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft and Windows PC. The highly-anticipated release of Juiced delivers an all-encompassing street racing experience, bringing the culture of street racing to life through game-play elements like betting and earning respect, while also featuring an extensive modification system in which gamers and gear-heads alike can build entire fleets of tricked-out racing machines. Drivers can get to work under the hood for a suggested retail price of $49.99 on PlayStation 2 and Xbox and $39.99 on Windows PC.
"Spending the time to fine-tune key game-play elements and further develop features such as crew racing, pink slip racing and online play has resulted in one of the top street racing games available," said Philip Holt, senior vice president, product development, THQ. "We are extremely pleased with the well-rounded racing experience Juice Games has delivered and look forward to continuing to advance THQ's position in the street racing genre."
Juiced will fully immerse players in the lifestyle and culture of the street racing scene where they will show off racing skills, earn respect from different crew chiefs and bet against them for cash. Earning cash and respect will ultimately unlock more than 50 real cars with over 100 real after-market cosmetic and performance mods for a total of 7.5 trillion car customization possibilities. As a racer's notoriety grows, new drivers will approach them to join the team, opening up never-before-seen 'crew races' where the player's ability to manage a crew of drivers is key to beating rival crews.
The game will also offer a full on-line feature set, including 6 player races, crew races, world leader boards and crew and pink-slip competitions, where someone will lose the car they worked to customize.
Juiced has been winning critical acclaim from top gaming publications and was IGN's runner up for best PlayStation 2 racing game at E3 2005:
"The heart of Juiced is pedal-to-the-metal street racing. And that's where it shines like a freshly buffed coat of pearlescent paint."
-- OXM
"Juiced has me hooked. The sophisticated progression scheme, the superb handling, the easy-to-modify cars, and the betting system are all excellent features, and the game is polished and smooth in every aspect."
-- IGN.com
"Juiced successfully straddles the line between a car tuning sim and arcade style street racer, then adds extra intrigue in the form of a team-based system."
-- PSM
About Juice Games
Juice Games is a development studio based in Warrington, UK comprising a talented group of individuals headed up by industry veteran Colin Bell. The Juice team has an unprecedented track record in creating highly entertaining and challenging games, and is renowned within the UK development community. With a history that spans games like TFX, EF2000, eRacer, Total Air War, Typhoon and the critically acclaimed but unreleased Lamborghini, Juice Games has an enviable back catalogue. Utilizing their own leading-edge technology, Juice Games has developed the high profile and well received Juiced street racing simulation over the last 2 years for Xbox, PlayStation2 and PC. The company is also enjoying success with a number of 3D titles for mobile platforms. Juice Games consists of over 40 development staff with industry experience that rivals the world's most established and successful development studios.
About THQ
THQ Inc. (Nasdaq: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Korea and Australia. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and www.thqwireless.com. THQ, THQ Wireless, Juiced and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Microsoft and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft.
The statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as "THQ"), including but not limited to expectations and projections related to the release and features of Juiced, and are based upon management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including, but not limited to economic, competitive and technological factors affecting the operations, markets, products, and pricing of THQ. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ's financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2005, and particularly the discussion of risk factors that may affect results of operations set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.