The Outfit(TM) Takes Next-Gen Online Gaming to the Next Level With First Ever Pre-Launch Xbox 360(TM) Online Multiplayer Demo
THQ and Relic Entertainment Release Explosive Multiplayer Demo on Xbox Live(R) Marketplace and Announce Post-Launch Downloadable Content Strategy
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 6: THQ Inc. (Nasdaq: THQI) today announced that to promote the upcoming launch of The OutfitTM, created by internal studio Relic Entertainment, the company is setting the standard for next-gen online gaming, offering the first pre-launch online multiplayer demo for the Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The demo, available on Xbox Live® online game service free of charge, will allow consumers to experience one of The Outfit's intense multiplayer maps with up to eight people battling it out online over Xbox Live. Gamers can also download the multiplayer demo to their Xbox 360TM and go head-to-head with a friend via Split Screen. The Outfit, a WWII squad-based combat game, is scheduled to release for Xbox 360 on Tuesday, March 14, with a suggested retail price of $59.99.
In addition, THQ and Relic Entertainment announced plans today to develop and release downloadable content to The Outfit players post launch, utilizing the full potential of the Xbox Live Marketplace. The content, which will include a series of multiplayer map-packs, will allow gamers to continuously extend their entertainment experience. New multiplayer map-packs are scheduled to be release periodically over the next 12 months.
"More than 50 percent of Xbox 360 owners are playing games on Xbox Live and we expect online gaming to be a major factor in the next generation console cycle, both in terms of game content and publisher revenue, said Kelly Flock, executive vice president, Worldwide Publishing, THQ. "The online multiplayer demo for The Outfit and the downloadable content we are announcing today put us at the forefront of this new opportunity and is just the beginning of what gamers should expect from THQ."
"Xbox Live is continuously changing the way people think about games and entertainment and we are very excited to deliver the first ever pre-launch online multiplayer demo to Xbox Live members through THQ's The Outfit," said Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft Corporation.
"The Outfit utilizes the power of the Xbox 360 hardware and accessibility of the Marketplace to deliver a multiplayer experience that is all about chaotic battles with larger than life characters and an unmatched fun factor," said Ron Moravek, general manager, Relic Entertainment. "We can't wait for people to start downloading the demo and getting a taste of what the gaming press have been saying for weeks."
Press coverage of The Outfit multiplayer action illustrates the building excitement surrounding the title:
"The Outfit could very well be the Xbox 360's first great online game."
- IGN
"A fascinating look into the future of online gaming ... a startlingly forward-looking title that is one of the most original we've seen in years."
- Game Pro
"The Destruction on Demand system is absolutely outrageous in multiplayer action. It seems as though there's an endless stream of cargo planes dropping stuff all over the map."
- Team Xbox
About The Outfit Multiplayer Demo
The Outfit Multiplayer Demo will provide Xbox 360 gamers with a sample of the intense multiplayer experience available in The Outfit -- with up to eight players battling it out to secure command points and strategic objectives throughout the map. Players will choose their side (Axis or Allies) -- then choose between three playable squad leaders -- each with their own skills and abilities, working together with other team-mates to win the match. In addition to a variety of playable squad leaders, The Outfit Multiplayer Demo includes the game's unique Destruction on DemandTM feature -- enabling players to call in reinforcements ranging from troops, tanks, guns and heavy artillery to air-strikes -- into the battle to instantly increase their firepower.
More information about The Outfit can be found at www.theoutfitgame.com
About Relic Entertainment
Founded in 1997 and acquired by THQ in 2004, Relic Entertainment is a leader in the development of innovative real-time strategy games for the PC. Relic's first title, "Homeworld" (1999), was received to widespread acclaim, garnering several "Game of the Year" and "Strategy Game of the Year" awards from major industry publications including PC Gamer and Computer Gaming World. Since then, Relic has released "Homeworld: Cataclysm" (2000, co-developed with Barking Dog Studios), "Impossible Creatures" (2003), and "Homeworld 2" (2003). The studio's most recent release, "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War" (2004), won numerous accolades including "Strategy Game of the Year" from Computer Gaming World. Today, Relic is building on this legacy by developing multiple groundbreaking PC and next-gen console projects in the RTS and action genres including "Company of Heroes," and "The Outfit".
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 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, Relic Entertainment, The Outfit, Destruction on Demand, Destroy All Humans, Juiced, Saints Row, Titan Quest, Company of Heroes and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, the Xbox logos, and the Xbox Live logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The statements contained in this press release that 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 The Outfit, 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.