Atari ships INNOVAtive AND ADDICTIVE ikaruga for nintendo gamecube(tm) 

Wildly Popular Japanese Shooter Fires Its Way to American Store Shelves

BEVERLY, MA, April 15, 2003 - Atari today announced that the much-anticipated hit Japanese game Ikaruga(tm) for the Nintendo GameCube(tm) next generation console system has shipped to retail outlets nationwide.  The game comes loaded with glorious graphics, awesome action and incredible firepower.

"Ikaruga delivers addictive gameplay combined with intense firepower that loyal fans of the shooter genre have come to expect," said Nancy MacIntyre, Vice President of Marketing for Infogrames' Beverly studio.  "With a phenomenal reputation that precedes it, Ikaruga is the import core gamers have been waiting for and more."

Ikaruga was originally developed for the arcade and for Sega DreamCast by Treasure - a highly respected developer of console action games - and has become one of the most beloved of all shooter titles.  Those already familiar with Ikaruga will appreciate vital game upgrades such as enhanced graphics, a new demo mode that clues players in to the "perfect" round and private passwords that let high scorers post their accomplishments on the official Ikaruga Web site and establish bragging rights within the worldwide Ikaruga community.

Ikaruga is a comprehensive, scrolling space shooter (with options for either a vertical, horizontal or letterbox display) set in 2D, against a rich 3D backdrop.  The game is an ideal combination of rich Japanese storytelling and high-powered, fighter pilot heroics.  Players take the role of our hero, Shinra, the lone survivor of a freedom federation that was massacred by the evil, power-hungry conqueror Tenro Horai. Now Shinra, in his newly-built ship, the Ikaruga, must fight for an aging, exiled people who are depending upon him for their survival.  Join the sole warrior as he battles the evil Horai in the hopes of restoring peace.

Ikaruga retails with an MSRP of $39.99.  For more information, please visit www.us.infogrames.com or www.ikaruga-atari.net.

About Infogrames

New York-based Infogrames, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFGM) 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 are distributed under two brand lines:  ATARI, hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driver(tm), Enter the Matrix(tm), Neverwinter Nights(tm), Stuntman(tm), Test Drive®, Unreal® Tournament 2003, and Unreal® Championship; and INFOGRAMES, mass-market and children's games such as Backyard Sports(tm), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(tm) and Dora the Explorer(tm), Civilization®, Dragon Ball Z® and RollerCoaster Tycoon®.  Infogrames, 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.infogrames.com.

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© 2003 Infogrames Interactive, Inc.

Published by Infogrames Japan.
Ikaruga game ©2001, 2003 Treasure.  All Right s Reserved.
ATARI and the Atari logo are U.S. registered trademarks.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Nintendo, Nintendo GameCube and the Official Seal are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo

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