The Commodore 64 bounces back to life as a Direct-To-TV™ plug and play Joystick!
London, January 25th 2005 - Everybody's favourite retro gaming device - the Commodore 64 (C64), has returned to life bringing with it memories of the innovative 8-bit computer games era in the form of an easy to use plug-in-and-play joystick preloaded with 30 of the best-selling C64 games. Launching in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia in May 2005, created by Ironstone Partners and brought to market by The Toy:Lobster Company (www.c64dtv.co.uk)
The Commodore 64 first arrived onto the gaming scene 20 years ago to much applause and celebration, offering users a fantastic new approach to the joys of computing. It was a 'breath of fresh air' and provided a view into the future of computing and game play and was the first home computer to offer users a machine that featured a professional quality sound chip, high-resolution graphics, and a massive 64k of memory all at an affordable price. It remains one-of-the-most famous home computers of all time and even made it into the 2001 Guinness Book of Records with the accolade - most "prolific computing device ever manufactured".
20 years on, to appeal to the resurgence of interest in retrospective gaming, the C64 has been revamped and reintroduced and, once again, it is breaking boundaries and setting the pace. This time around however the C64 is dramatically smaller, easier to use and even more entertaining. The quite considerable innards of the beloved home computer have been packed into one joystick and have been joined by a selection of the greatest games from the 8-bit era. Old favourites such as Epyx's Summer and Winter Games and California Games make up the list along with gems such as Paradroid, Uridium, Nebulus and Speedball there is clearly something for everyone!
Fantastically easy-to-use the Commodore 64 plug-and-play device has recaptured the hearts of those who remember the C64 from the first time round and of those who were not even born when the C64 was first introduced to the world. It is a gaming device that has allowed everyone, young and old to be part of something great that started two decades ago.
Breathing life back into the Commodore 64 was the result of a pioneering combination of Ironstone Partners, DC Studios, Mammoth Toys and The Toy: Lobster Company. It has culminated in a blast from the past that has once again pushed its way into the spot light of gaming selling 70,000 units on the first day of sales in the US alone. Not bad for a 20 year old machine!
"We are incredibly proud to have been a part of creating the C64 D2TV, bringing the classic computers unique look, sound and feel to a whole new generation of gamers." States Ironstone Partners Creative Director Darren Melbourne "This will only be the first of many C64 related hardware projects and enthusiasts of the Commodore 64 should keep an eye open for what the future will bring"
"We're getting an amazing reaction, not only from the toy and electronics industry, but from video gaming outlets and video gamers too" commented Toy:Lobster Director, Simon Jones. "This unit eclipses other development in this category in that we're not launching a looks-like games system with licensed games - this is the C64 re-released and running the actual games as they were".
"Utterly irresistible" is how a review in gamesindustry.biz describes the C64 DTV and goes on to say that it has a "..build quality and feel that is basically exactly how you'd want it to be, unlike virtually every other TV Games device.."
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Notes To Editor:
About Ironstone Partners
Ironstone Partners is a UK based licensing and intellectual property creation company. With offices in London and Manchester, UK. Ironstone is focussed on the development of compelling content for the games, toy and wider media industries.www.ironstonepartners.com
Contact
Rebecca Gibson
Marketing Manager
Ironstone Partners
W: rebecca.gibson@ironstonepartners.com
About DC Studios
The DC group consists of games development studios in Montreal - Canada and Glasgow - Scotland. In 2003 DC acquired the business of Dream Mechanics, based in Montreal. Dream Mechanics is a provider of massively multiplayer gaming technology and has produced many on line games for many film and TV Studios.
DC Studios develop for Nintendo Gamecube, Sony Playstation 2, Sony Playstation, Microsoft Xbox, PC, Apple Macintosh, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, and more. www.dc-studios.com
About Mammoth Toys
Mammoth Toys is a Division of Natural Science Industries Ltd. It is a worldwide manufacturer of innovative and high-value toy products in various categories and its toys can be found at mass and specialty retailers worldwide. www.mammothtoys.com
About The Toy: Lobster company
The Toy:Lobster company is an independent toy company that manufactures, licenses and distributes a large range of leisure products, predominantly created and marketed for young adults. The company is exclusive distributor for lines from companies such as; Colorific Australia, Kidriffic, Cutting Edge Toys, Best Pals, AG Industries, Sunco. www.c64dtv.co.uk www.toylobster.com