NAMCO SIGNS LICENSING DEAL WITH HIP INTERACTIVE
TO BRING KEY VIDEO GAME FRANCHISES TO PC
Kill.switch, Extreme Force: Grant City Anti-Crime and
PAC-MAN WORLD 2Available Worldwide on PC in 2004
San Jose, Ca., (Sept. 17, 2003) – Leading video games publisher, Namco Hometek
Inc. announced today that it has expanded its relationship with Hip Interactive
Corp. (TSX: HP) to license several of Namco’s key video game properties for the
PC. Hip Interactive will develop and distribute PC versions of kill.switch,
Extreme Force: Grant City Anti-Crime (working title) and PAC-MAN
WORLD2 in North America and Europe in 2004. As previously announced, Hip
Interactive will be releasing another top Namco franchise, Dead to Rights®
for PC in North America and Europe in fall 2003.
“We have a great opportunity to expand the commercial potential of our video
game properties through licensing,” said Robert Ennis, Chief Financial Officer
of Namco Hometek Inc. “Hip Interactive is an established player in the PC games
industry worldwide and we are confident that our franchises will perform very
well for them on the PC platform.”
“Namco creates some of the best video games in the industry,” said Arindra
Singh, President and CEO of Hip Interactive. “Their titles sell very well on
the next generation console platforms and we feel that together we can be very
successful in the PC games marketplace.”
Kill.switch is Namco Hometek Inc.’s newest internal development project.
This 3rd person action/adventure game features a unique Offensive Cover System,
allowing the player to engage the enemy from various cover positions. Six
war-themed missions are spread out across 18 different levels and feature
environments from Middle Eastern deserts to an underground submarine base. The
game also utilizes Blindfire, enabling the player to launch a frontal assault
technique against the enemy without being exposed to counter-fire.
Extreme Force: Grant City Anti-Crime is a 3rd person action/adventure
game that takes place on the deadly streets of Grant City – a well-known setting
from Namco’s blockbuster, Dead to Rights. As a member of Grant City’s elite GAC
Squad, the player will be submerged into the crime-fighting world of special
weapons and covert tactics.
PAC-MAN WORLD 2 offers gamers non-stop action with their favorite arcade
characters. Players explore Ghost Island and help Pac-Man save his friends
through six unique worlds. In the Maze Mode, there are mazes galore to fulfill
gamers’ cravings to chase Pinky, Inky, Blinky and Clyde in a variety of 3D
puzzle environments. There is even a Classic Mode for the nostalgic-at-heart to
play the original arcade legend.
About Namco Hometek Inc.
Namco Hometek Inc. is the U.S. consumer
division of Namco Limited, a Tokyo-based world leader in the high-tech
entertainment industry. Based in San Jose, CA, Namco Hometek Inc. is an
award-winning video games publisher for the next generation game consoles.
Namco has created some of the industry’s greatest video game franchises:
Tekken®, SOULCALIBUR®, Dead to Rights®, Pac-Man World , Ridge Racer®, Time
Crisis® and Ace Combat®. For more information about Namco and its products log
onto www.namco.com
About Hip Interactive
Hip Interactive (
www.hipinteractive.com ) is a leading North American provider of electronic
entertainment products, including PC and video games, movies, video arcade
games, and proprietary games, branded as Hip Games, and accessories, branded as
Hip Gear. The Company distributes all first party products, including Sony,
Microsoft and Nintendo hardware, software and accessories, as well as third
party licensed video game software. Hip uses its distribution business to
leverage into higher margin, higher growth areas of the electronic entertainment
industry, such as licensing, publishing and the distribution of proprietary
games and accessories. Hip Interactive trades on The Toronto Stock Exchange
under the trading symbol “HP” and has 60.6 million common shares issued and
outstanding.
kill.switch & 2003 Namco Hometek Inc., All rights reserved.EXTREME FORCE :
Grant City Anti-Crime & 2003 NAMCO HOMETEK INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.TEKKEN®,
SOULCALIBUR®, PAC-MAN WORLD, Ridge Racer®, Time Crisis® and ACECOMBAT® are the
trademarks or registered trademarks of Namco Limited in the United States and/or
other countries. Dead to Rights® is the trademark or registered trademark of
Namco Hometek Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
