Press Release: Splashdown: Most Technologically Impressive Game of Last E3 and Runner-Up
From Video Game Morgue File
SPLASHDOWN: MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY IMPRESSIVE GAME OF LAST E3 AND RUNNER-UP
All the fun and exhilaration of being a hotshot, globetrotting Sea-Doo racer – coming to the Playstation 2 this Fall.
Infogrames Teams Up With Rainbow Studios And Bombardier Recreational Products To Bring SEA-DOO® Racing To The Sony PlayStation 2
PARIS, CA - April 26, 2001 – Infogrames a global publisher of interactive entertainment software, announced today that they have teamed up with Bombardier, the leader in Recreational Products, and Rainbow Studios, a Academy-Award winning US game developer, to bring the excitement and fun of personal watercraft riding to the Sony PlayStation 2 this fall with Splashdown. During the last twenty years, personal watercraft recreation has grown into a widely successful and popular sport around the world, synonymous of speed, power, sun and fun. Infogrames and Rainbow Studios recognized this and launched the development of Splashdown, a water sport racing game designed to provide fun and entertainment in realistic and exciting water-based environments. With interactive physics objects, outstanding graphics and hilarious dialogue going back and forth between characters during races, Splashdown will give the feeling of being really out on the open water to each player. “Sea-Doo is the leader in fun on the water. Through superior innovation in design, handling and performance, a ride on a Sea-Doo PWC (Personal Watercraft) inspires a sense of freedom and exhilaration. That is what we want the gamer to feel, and that is why we chose Bombardier. They were a tremendous help in the development of the game, bringing their expertise to develop fun and realistic physics and handling sensations”. said Michael Sportouch VP for Infogrames Sports “We then needed to find the right developer. We naturally thought about Rainbow Studios. We took an agreement with them for having a long-time pre-production to be sure of reaching a water physics really impressive. Classically trained artists work alongside award-winning engineers to create and deliver great entertainment in all media. With Motocross Madness 1 and 2 and lately ATV Offroad Fury, they have shown they could deliver great titles and had the technology for a Personal Watercraft racing game” . "Bombardier Recreational Products are all about fun, passion and performance, a combination that fits very well in Infogrames' universe ", says José Boisjoli, President, Snowmobiles, Watercraft and ATV, Bombardier Recreational Products. " We are happy to be linked with one of the most important players in the industry of interactive entertainment. This is part of our continuing efforts to partner with leaders who recognise the value of our SEA?DOO® brand and the passion it invokes. SEA?DOO products are a symbol of the sought-after "fun in the sun" lifestyle that stirs the passion of watersports enthusiasts the world over. The Splashdown game will combine Infogrames' expertise with our brand's inherent excitement. This will thrill both our own SEA?DOO PWC consumers and gaming enthusiasts. " “In addition to licensed Sea-Doo watercraft with custom tuned physics, Splashdown will offer amazing real-time water effects with hydrodynamic physics creating dynamic wakes, rolling waves and turbulence” explained Eric Brouillat production director . Players will be able to perform over-the-top aerobic stunts and will experience spectacular wrecks and bails while roaming the open 3D world of Splashdown. This is this technology which allowed Rainbow to win the award for the “Most technologically impressive game” during last E3. The stunts will stand as a major element of the gameplay, bringing “larger than life” fun and excitement to the game. Indeed performing tricks will not only allow players to “show-off” but also to boost their speed and overtake challengers on the finish line. The game will feature eight different characters from around the world and 18 racing courses in exotic locations including Hawaii, Lake Havasu, Arizona, USA; Venice, Italy; Nice, France and more. The game will also feature five game modes including Career, Countdown and Free Ride, with three difficulty levels in each, a high-energy soundtrack and a 2-person multi-player support. “Infogrames has a proven record of taking well-known licenses and creating cutting-edge, mass market games on both established and next generation platforms,” stated Frank Heissat, Marketing Director for Infogrames Sports. “Thanks to this mutually profitable relation with Bombardier, we plan not only a PWC game but a promising range of powerproducts games .” Infogrames disclosed the list of properties they secured with the license agreement: SEA-DOO, SKI-DOO®, Bombardier®, ATV, SEA-DOO Sport Boat, LYNX®. About Infogrames, Inc. New York-based Infogrames, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFGM) is the second largest third-party publisher of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company develops video games for all consoles (Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft), PCs, and Macintosh systems. Infogrames' catalogue of more than 1,000 titles includes award-winning franchises such as Alone In The Dark™, Civilization™, Deer Hunter®, Driver™, Roller Coaster Tycoon®, Test Drive®, and Unreal®, and key licenses including Survivor™, Warner Bros. Looney Tunes™, Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues™, Dragon Ball Z, Mission Impossible®, Harley-Davidson®, Major League Baseball®, and the National Football League®, among many others. The Company's Humongous Entertainment and MacSoft labels are leaders in children's entertainment software and Macintosh entertainment software, respectively. Infogrames, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA) (Euronext 5257), a global publisher and distributor of video games for all platforms, as well as interactive digital television, mobile smart devices (WAP, HDML) and in-flight entertainment systems. In 2001, IESA acquired Infogrames Interactive, Inc. (formerly Hasbro Interactive), including its line of software based on well-known licenses such as Monopoly®, Jeopardy®, Tonka®, and Atari®, which are distributed in the U.S. by Infogrames, Inc. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.infogrames.com.
