Just bought some more shares.
Getting nervous before the companies Q release,
But believe in the companies innovative product, and it's
competiveness.
Below is an Activisions press release, relating to the buying
of the rights to JTS's "asteroids + battlezone games"
Hope this helps put JTS's atari's divisions net drag on the
company a little in the black.
Monday September 8 9:16 AM EDT
Company Press Release
Source: Activision, Inc.
Activision Acquires Rights to Legendary Video Games Asteroids and Battlezone
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 8/PRNewswire/ -- Utilizing its expertise in enhancing classic brands, Activision, Inc. announced today that it has acquired the rights from Atari/JTS Corporation to develop titles based on the legendary video game properties Asteroids and Battlezone. The announcement was made today by Bobby Kotick, Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc.
``Asteroids and Battlezone are two of the most recognized game franchises ever,'' states Kotick. ``We have had great success using our proven product making capabilities with many of our own franchises such as Pitfall and Zork, and we believe our new designs for Asteroids and Battlezone will deliver the same level of excitement as the original games did when they launched the video industry.''
The coin-operated version of Asteroids was introduced by Atari in 1979. In 1981, Atari released Asteroids for the Atari 2600 game system and by 1982, Asteroids was one of the fastest selling home video games in the United States. The game challenged players to warp into hyperspace and shoot a path to the stars as they dodged plummeting asteroids and invading flying saucers.
In 1980, Atari introduced the arcade game Battlezone, the first 3-D video game ever made. The game created such a sensation that the U.S. army ordered modified versions of Battlezone to use in training. Featuring ultra-smooth vector graphics and a revolutionary 3-D engine, the game challenged players to deflect and destroy enemies within a large valley surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. Maneuvering from a first-person view inside of a tank, players thwarted attacks from oncoming supertanks, missiles and spaceships.
``We are pleased to be working again with another pioneering founder of the video game industry,'' stated John Skruch, Director of Licensing, Atari/JTS Corporation. ``Activision's current leadership and ingenuity in the development field combined with our classic hits should make for a killer combination.''
The agreement with Atari follows Activision's recent acquisition of premier game developer Raven Software Corporation and underscores the company's mandate to expand its publishing efforts through the acquisition of proven game franchises, external product acquisitions, strategic partnerships and corporate acquisitions. Complementing its substantial studio capabilities, Activision maintains strong relationships with such renowned third-party developers as id Software, Ritual Entertainment, Parsoft Interactive, Titanic Entertainment, Eutechnyx, Ltd. and Kalisto Technologies. |
