Quazal and THQ Join Forces
Top-tier publisher and top-tier middleware enter into multi-year agreement
Montreal, Quebec (March 16th, 2006) - Quazal, makers of the Net-Z and Rendez-Vous online multiplayer middleware, and THQ, one of the top publishers of interactive games for home consoles and home computers worldwide announce today that THQ and its studios have added Quazal's Net-Z and Rendez-Vous technologies for use in their online efforts through 2007.
The partnership starts with several internal studios, including Rainbow Studios and Relic Entertainment, as well as several externally developed games.
"THQ is one of the most prolific publishers in the world, with worldwide operations, hugely popular licenses, and a great slate of development partners," said Mike Drummelsmith, Developer Relations Manager at Quazal. "It's going to be great to tackle the needs of these studios, as they have some high aspirations, and some great design goals. It's an exciting opportunity!"
With the new versions of Net-Z and Rendez-Vous, developers can integrate and implement their advanced lobby features more quickly than ever before, and with Quazal's Expert Services consulting division, developers can offload their lobby and networking development, lowering implementation times, and hence lowering risks.
"Connectivity is a priority," stated Jonathan Dowdeswell of Relic Entertainment. "Quazal has a great NAT traversal implementation and, on the support side, Quazal's team has been incredibly helpful whenever we've needed it."
With several titles already on shelves, Quazal's Net-Z and Rendez-Vous are proven technologies and services. This confidence helped THQ make their decision on Rendez-Vous.
"We received several recommendations internally for Quazal's services," said Tim Campbell, Director of Business Development for THQ. "After further evaluation, we found Net-Z and Rendez-Vous to be affordable, powerful and reliable."
The first titles in this agreement will be announced soon, and will be available in 2006. Developers interested in Quazal's technology can visit http://www.quazal.com for more details, or e-mail info@quazal.com, and can meet with the Quazal team at this year's Game Developer's Conference at booth #644.
About THQ, Inc.
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 is a top producer of original intellectual properties including titles such as Destroy All Humans!TM, JuicedTM and Full Spectrum WarriorTM as well as the upcoming The OutfitTM, Saints RowTM, Titan QuestTM and Company of HeroesTM. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and www.thqwireless.com. THQ, THQ Wireless, Rainbow Studios, Relic Entertainment, Company of Heroes, Destroy All Humans!, Juiced, The Outfit, Saint Row, Titan Quest and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
About Quazal
Quazal is the leading supplier of multiplayer middleware solutions for the entertainment industry. World-class publishers such as Atari, Capcom, Crave, Eidos, JoWooD, THQ and Ubisoft are joining the ranks of dozens of studios and independent developers that use Quazal's products to propel the next generation of multiplayer games. In 2000, Quazal revolutionized network programming by rendering obsolete the traditional packet/socket paradigm. In 2005, Quazal launched a fully featured lobby service, widely regarded as the most innovative and flexible offering on the market. Quazal's products are currently available for "PlayStation®2", "PSPTM"("PlayStation®Portable), "PLAYSTATION®3", Xbox®, Xbox 360?, Windows®, Pocket PC, and Linux. For more information and demonstrations visit http://www.quazal.com.
*Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and /or other countries.
*Quazal and Net-Z are trademarks of Quazal.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contact Information:
Mike Drummelsmith
Developer Relations Manager
Quazal
mike@quazal.com
(514) 395-4646