BEVERLY, Mass. -- July 17, 2003 -- Atari today announced plans to bring Hasbro Inc.'s TRANSFORMERS ARMADA, the enormously popular male action property to PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system with TRANSFORMERS ARMADA: PRELUDE TO ENERGON. All the rage in the '80's, the TRANSFORMERS brand is as popular as ever with the top-selling TRANSFORMERS ARMADA toy line and comic book series, and Cartoon Network television series.
Exclusively for the PlayStation 2, TRANSFORMERS ARMADA : PRELUDE TO ENERGON is a revolutionary 3rd person, 3-D action/adventure game. Players enter the world of TRANSFORMERS as they become one of three AUTOBOT robots and control their character's every move and decision. The massive robots can explore numerous rich 3-D environments on foot or convert to vehicle mode for high-speed maneuvering. Players will battle DECEPTICON forces with an arsenal of weapons including cluster rockets, homing missiles and vortex cannons.
"We're working diligently to develop a game that expands upon the TRANSFORMERS ARMADA brand to provide a truly unique experience with intense gameplay, vast environments and an emphasis on combat," said Andrew Carter, vice president of product development for Atari's Melbourne House. "Every massive environment and character model will be delivered with an unprecedented level of visual realism by harnessing PlayStation 2 system's powerful graphics technology and techniques - resulting in incredible rendering effects and absolute immersion for players."
"TRANSFORMERS ARMADA: PRELUDE TO ENERGON for PlayStation 2 is being developed to deliver a deep interactive experience that will immerse players into a rich, bold new TRANSFORMERS world," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of marketing for Atari. "TRANSFORMERS is a successful brand that continues to thrive nearly twenty years after it was introduced and we are excited to offer this highly anticipated title."
"Atari is a leader in interactive gaming and has the talent to bring the world of TRANSFORMERS to life through a dynamic and engaging game that will captivate fans of all ages," said Tom Klusaritz, Vice President of Publishing for Hasbro Consumer Products Worldwide, the licensing and promotions arm of Hasbro.
TRANSFORMERS characters are now armed with the ability to evolve, as players collect different types of MINI-CON robots that power-up character's abilities. MINI-CON characters possess a unique ability to make ordinary Transformers characters extremely powerful and are desired by both the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS. The ultimate goal is to free the MINI-CON race, battle to defeat MEGATRON warrior and his evil army of DECEPTICLONES to save the Earth from destruction.
Developed by Atari's Melbourne House, TRANSFORMERS ARMADA: PRELUDE TO ENERGON will be available in Spring 2004 for a suggested retail price of $49.95. For more information, please visit www.atari.com.
Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driver(TM), Enter the Matrix(TM), Neverwinter Nights(TM), Stuntman(TM), Test Drive(R), Unreal(R) Tournament 2003, and Unreal(R) Championship; and mass-market and children's games such as Backyard Sports(TM), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM) and Dora the Explorer(TM), Civilization(R), Dragon Ball Z(R) and RollerCoaster Tycoon(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.
(C) 2003 Atari, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
HASBRO and its logo, TRANSFORMERS and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. (C) 2003 HASBRO. All Rights Reserved.
"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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