Electronic Entertainment Expo, Los Angeles, CA, May 23, 2002 - If all you want for Christmas is a six-inch tall blood-thirsty predator-esque Alien carrying a time-traveling chainsaw, then Epic Games and RadioActive Clown can make your wish come true. The creators of the hit computer game franchise, Unreal, today announce a partnership with the first toy company to focus on action figures from computer games. Together the companies will design, manufacturer and distribute a series of characters from the Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Championship games. The first series will be available in both toy and game retail outlets in time for the 2002 holidays.
The first figures to market will be high-quality, detailed versions of characters from Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Championship. Two other series of characters are in the works. All figures will also come with a set of Unreal's unique weapons such as the flak cannon, sniper rifle and translocator.
The figures will be sculpted by acclaimed designer Steve Kiwus of Eight Ball Studios. Kiwus is one of the top talents in the action-figure industry. His latest achievements include toy renditions of characters from Spider-man, Lord of the Rings and the X-Men.
"The Unreal games have a loyal fan base, and we want to keep giving them more. Immortalizing the characters into collectible action figures is the next step," said Jay Wilbur, strategic advisor, Epic Games. "We are excited to be working RadioActive Clown. They have a solid retail channel in place and are a company that stands behind the art of action figure making - representing the creative talents of both the developers and the sculptors. Their passion is something that we admire."
"Working with Epic was a no-brainer. We don't joke about toys and they don't joke about games. A perfect fit. The detail in their characters on screen will be exactly duplicated in real-life, no messing around," said RadioActive Clown himself. "The Unreal franchise is hot and we will help to make it hotter."
As part of the agreement, RadioActive Clown has also partnered with Milo's Workshop, famed for its work creating figures for such games as Electronic Arts' Alice. Milo's Workshop will work with RadioActive Clown on the manufacturing of the figurines. RadioActive Clown will handle worldwide distribution. The company already has solid relationships with leading retailers such as Electronics Boutique and GameStop.
Radioactive Clown is the brainchild of high-profile game industry executives David Eddings and Jim Bloom formerly of video game publisher Gathering of Developers (GodGames). The third partner and founder of the company is RadioActive Clown himself, a former circus entertainer turned obsessed toy and action figure collector. Radioactive Clown works closely with various game developers and publishers to produce collectible quality action figures based on popular videogame characters. Its first line of action figures will be Rune, based on the hit PC and Sony Playstation 2 game by Human Head Studios. Radioactive Clown, LLC, is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. For additional information, please visit the company website at www.radioactiveclown.com.
About Epic Games:
Epic Games Inc, based in Raleigh, NC and established in 1991, is a developer of cutting-edge computer and video games. The company is best known as the creator of hit PC 3D action games Unreal and Unreal Tournament both award-winning blockbuster hits having each sold more than 1 million copies.
Unreal Tournament has been recognized as the Game of the Year by many leading gaming media outlets including Computer Gaming World, the #1 PC games magazine, and has appeared on PC, Macintosh, Linux, Sony PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast. Epic's Unreal engine has been licensed to several top game developers for games in a variety of genres on multiple platforms including the PC, Apple Macintosh, Linux, Microsoft XboxTM and Sony PlayStation 2. Eidos' Deus Ex, which was PC Gamer magazine's 2000 Game of the Year, and Electronic Arts' critically acclaimed Undying are among the many shipping titles built using the Unreal engine. Prior to their 3D success, Epic Games was well known for the hit shareware games Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit and Epic Pinball. Most recently, Epic Games was listed on the 2002 Red Herring 100 as one of the top 50 private companies in the country recognized for innovation and business strategy. Additional information can be obtained through Epic's Web site at www.epicgames.com.
*Unreal and Epic Games are registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
