JANUARY 5, 2000
GTR Group's Mad Catz Division and Sega Sign Extensive
Licensing Partnership-Deal With Sega Will Allow Mad Catz
to Take Full Advantage of the Potential of the Dreamcast
System
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO--GTR Group Inc., today announced that its Mad
Catz accessories division and Sega Enterprises, Ltd. (JN: 7964,
OTC: SEGNY), have signed a multi-country licensing partnership
under which Sega(R) will license technology and other intellectual
property to Mad Catz for the creation of Mad Catz branded
peripherals for the 128-bit, Internet-ready Sega Dreamcast video
game system. The agreement allows Mad Catz to design, manufacture
and market licensed peripherals for the system in North America,
South America and Europe.
"This agreement is very significant for Mad Catz", said Whitney
Peterson, Vice President, Corporate Development for Mad Catz.
"Not only does it allow Mad Catz to make sure our peripherals are
100 % compatible with all Dreamcast games, but it also serves to
greatly strengthen the relationship between Mad Catz and Sega.
Initially, ten Mad Catz peripherals will be licensed, including
Mad Catz' highly successful Steering Wheels, critically acclaimed
6-button Control Pad, the Blaster, Force Pack a PC keyboard
converter, and a Memory Unit. Additional licensed products will
come on line next year."
"Sega is pleased to be working with Mad Catz under this licensing
agreement," said Shoichiro Irimajiri, president, Sega Enterprises,
Ltd. "This shows a significant commitment by both companies to
bring consumers the best gaming peripherals possible on Sega
Dreamcast."
"This agreement is further evidence of the success of Mad Catz's
strategy to work cooperatively with first parties in the industry,
Mr. Peterson added. "Working with Sega allows us to take full
advantage of the enormous potential of the Dreamcast system,
especially as online games for Dreamcast are released. We are
working closely with Sega to create innovative and exciting
peripherals that will visibly enhance the online gaming experience
that experts predict will catch fire among Dreamcast users."
About GTR Group Inc.
GTR Group Inc. is a diversified interactive entertainment company
located in Brampton, Ontario. GTR's product lines include
previously played and republished video games for Nintendo, Sega
and Sony game systems which are marketed to mass merchants
retailers and specialty retailers in North America under the
GamesTrader brand and a full range of video game accessories for
video game consoles and PC gaming systems which are marketed under
the Mad Catz brand. GTR Group's ZapYou.com e-commerce division
partners with existing electronic retailers in selling interactive
entertainment products over the Internet.
About Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Sega Enterprises, Ltd is a nearly US$2.5 billion company
recognized as the industry leader in interactive entertainment
experiences, and is the only company that offers interactive
entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home.
About Sega Dreamcast
Sega Dreamcast, which has been named "Machine of the Year" by TIME
Digital and "Product of the Year" by Business Week, features an
advanced 128-bit architecture that is designed to evolve and grow
with advances in technology and the changing needs of the consumer
market.
The Sega Dreamcast is built atop a 200 MHz Hitachi SH-4 APU and
the NEC PowerVR 2DC 3D graphics chip, the most powerful 3D
technology ever developed for a console system. The Hitachi SH-4
gives the Sega Dreamcast 15 times the power of a Sony PlayStation,
10 times the power of a Nintendo 64 and four times the graphics
processing power of the fastest Pentium II processor.
Sega Dreamcast is also the first console to enter the market with
Internet capabilities. Its built-in 56k modem ensures full
Internet functionality, including chat, email and browsing through
the Sega Dreamcast Network, an online gaming portal accessible
only through Sega Dreamcast. Sega will introduce full online
gaming for the system early next year.
AT&T(R) strategic partner and AT&T WorldNet(R) Service is the
preferred Internet Service provider for Sega Dreamcast.
In addition to being the most powerful console in video game
history and the first to offer online features at launch, the Sega
Dreamcast is the first to utilize hand-held gaming through its
Visual Memory Unit (VMU), which allows players to swap games with
friends in the home, arcade or head-to-head using two VMU's.
A Sega Dreamcast exclusive, the credit card sized VMU houses a
built in LCD screen that plugs into the control pad for use with
Dreamcast games as a memory device or game-enhancing peripheral.
The VMU can also be removed from the control pad for portable game
play and for swapping game information with other Sega Dreamcast
or VMU users. The unit features an 8-bit CPU and a monochrome LCD
display.
The VMU adds a whole new level of strategy to game play on Sega
Dreamcast with two-screen gaming using a IV and the VMU. Gamers
can use the LCD to set up plays in sports games or plan secret
attacks in RPGs without their opponent's knowledge.
Players can even download special characters and game enhancing
add-ons from the Dreamcast Network to the VMI, or trade game
information by connecting two VMU cards. The VMU is also a
portable game device, compete with a directional pad, control
buttons and a LCD game screen.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those indicated by such looking-forward statements are market and
general economic conditions and the risk factors detailed from
time to time in the company's periodic reports and registration
statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
