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HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED "THE THING™" FOR PLAYSTATION®2 XBOX™ AND PC SHIPS TO RETAILERS NATIONWIDE UNDER NEW BLACK LABEL GAMES BANNER
Genre-Breaking Squad-Based Action Survival/Horror Title Engages Player Through Emotion and Paranoia Available Now in Stores
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., September 10, 2002 – Black Label Games, Inc., a studio of the Games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, announced today that its critically-acclaimed game, "The Thing™," a follow-up to John Carpenter's cult-classic horror movie, has been published for the Sony PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft and PC CD-ROM, and shipped to retailers nationwide. The PlayStation®2 and Xbox™ versions of the title are co-published with Konami Corporation in Japan.
A video game sequel to Universal Pictures' 1982 release from master horror director John Carpenter, "The Thing" picks up where the movie's storyline ended and features an all-new cast of characters. Players assume the role of Blake, a military squad captain dispatched to Antarctica to investigate the troubling disappearance of an American scientific expedition. Before long, he discovers an alien beast with the power to transform itself into every being that it kills.
Deadlier than the Antarctic chill, panic quickly threatens to consume the hero and his men: Is Blake a trustworthy leader? Are his fellow soldiers on his side? Or have they been infected by The Thing?
London-based game developer Computer Artworks, Ltd. has created a trust/fear interface for the game, an innovative gameplay mechanic never before implemented in the survival/horror genre that enables the player to monitor the psychological states of the non-playing characters (NPC's) and their willingness to cooperate with their leader. Unlike most survival/horror games, "The Thing" demands that the player complete the game with his increasingly suspicious squad-mates, relying on wits and an arsenal of weaponry, including flame-throwers and machine guns, to escape infection.
"'The Thing'" is a breakthrough title that has piqued the interest of sophisticated gamers worldwide," said Torrie Dorrell, general manager of Black Label Games. "Its fast-paced action and trust/fear interface reinvigorate the survival horror genre to provide fans of 'The Thing' with the video game they have been waiting for 20 years to see and play."
Television actor William B. Davis ("The X-Files") provides the voice of Blake's nemesis, Whitely, in the game. The ultra-realistic 3D game also features groundbreaking snow and lighting effects, subtle sound cues and some of the most hyper-detailed and truly horrific creatures ever to grace the gaming screen. "The Thing" is difficult to see, hard to kill and seemingly impossible to evade.
"The Thing" video game has been rated M by the ESRB for blood, gore and violence. Further information about "The Thing" is available at
www.thethinggames.com.About "The Thing"
Derived from John W. Campbell, Jr.'s short story "Who Goes There?" and a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film, John Carpenter's ("Christine," "Halloween") "The Thing" has become a cult phenomenon since its theatrical release in 1982. The story of an alien monster that ravages an Antarctic outpost with its power to morph into the shape of anything it kills, the film was rated by Entertainment Weekly as the 12th-scariest movie of all time, in the company of such classics as "Alien" and "The Exorcist."
*A Note to Parents: "The Thing" motion picture is rated R. Consult
www.filmratings.com for further information.About Konami Corporation
KONAMI CORPORATION is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, specializing in the home video game market KONAMI CORPORATION's action and adventure titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Castlevania, among other top sellers The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at
www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami of America, Inc. in the US and Konami of Europe in Frankfurt, Germany.About Black Label Games
Black Label Games is Vivendi Universal Games' (VU Games) most recent addition to its publishing group, and is focused on developing titles based on original intellectual properties, as well as content licensed from external strategic partners. During 2002 Black Label Games will publish 'The Thing," the highly anticipated action/survival-horror game, a video game sequel to John Carpenter's 1982 cult classic movie of the same name, and "Enclave" for the Xbox platform. The unit will also release games based on the greatest literary epic of the 20th century, J.R.R. Tolkien's worldwide best-selling saga "The Lord of the Rings," as part of Vivendi Universal Publishing's long-term agreement with Tolkien Enterprises.
About Vivendi Universal Games
Headquartered in New York, NY, Vivendi Universal Games (
www.vugames.com) is a worldwide operating division of Vivendi Universal Publishing and a global leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment. A leading publisher of PC, console and online-based interactive content, the Company's portfolio of development studios includes Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Black Label Games and Universal Interactive. Through its Partner Publishing Group, Vivendi Universal Games also co-publishes and/or distributes interactive products for a number of strategic partners, including Empire Interactive, Fox Interactive, Mythic Entertainment and Simon & Schuster, among others Games are one of parent company Vivendi Universal's key content areas, along with movies, music and other publishing activities.
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