Press Release: Infogrames Announces Development of PC Games Based on Popular Namco Arcade Characters
From Video Game Morgue File
INFOGRAMES ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF PC GAMES BASED ON POPULAR NAMCO ARCADE CHARACTERS
Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug Come To The PC In New Games With All The Habit-Forming Gameplay Qualities That Helped Them Rule The Arcades
BEVERLY, MA – August 22, 2001 – Infogrames announced today that it has begun development of new games based on two of Namco’s most popular characters from the golden age of the arcades: Ms. Pac-Man™ and Dig Dug™. The two games, entitled MS. PAC-MAN Quest for the Golden Maze™ and DIG DUG Deeper™, are being developed for Infogrames by Creature Labs, Ltd. in the United Kingdom and will be the first games starring this dynamic duo made exclusively for Windows® 95/98/ME-based PCs. Infogrames plans to publish both titles this holiday season. “MS. PAC-MAN Quest for the Golden Maze and DIG DUG Deeper continue the long legacy of Namco’s Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug characters on home gaming platforms,” said Steve Arthur, director of marketing at Infogrames. “One or the other of these gamer-beloved characters has appeared in games on every major gaming system since its arcade release in 1982. We’re thrilled to be continuing this tradition by making a game especially for the PC players who remember these great characters from their youth.” In MS. PAC-MAN Quest for the Golden Maze, Ms. Pac-Man is again on the run from the pesky ghosts and must use her wits to survive. Experts and newcomers alike will be challenged to help Ms. Pac-Man get the highest possible score while attempting to collect special bonus fruit that will unlock the coveted Golden Maze. Innovative features will increase the level of interactivity and replay value while retaining the elements that made MS. PAC-MAN the best selling arcade game machine ever. DIG DUG Deeper sees our hero Dig Dug return to his old underground territories in search of precious gems. But, as in the arcade original, he is not alone. The Pookas and Fygars are there to stop him. Armed with a drill and extermination gear, Dig Dug drills his way into the right spots while avoiding his enemies, dropping boulders on them, or destroying them with his extermination pack. 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.
