Ubisoft® to publish in major territories, Midway to direct development for highly-anticipated Vin Diesel driving game.
CHICAGO, IL, AND PARIS, FRANCE - February, 17 2009 - Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, announced today that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Ubisoft to publish WheelmanTM, the highly-anticipated open-world driving game starring action-film megastar Vin Diesel as an expert driver for hire. Ubisoft will handle sales, marketing, and distribution of the title in North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Midway will continue to direct the development of the title and retains all future rights to the franchise and will sell the title in all other European territories.
Wheelman is scheduled for a March 24, 2009, ship date in North America and a March 27, 2009, street date in Europe for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. A pre-launch demo is also planned for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Midway to bring Wheelman to stores worldwide,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer, Ubisoft. “Midway is known for launching intense, fast-paced action games, and the cutting edge open-world driving technology in Wheelman should make for a game that gamers will love.”
“Ubisoft’s decision to join Midway in a co-publishing agreement is a gratifying validation of Wheelman’s potential,” commented Matt Booty, president and CEO, Midway. “Ubisoft has a proven expertise at bringing new IP to market, which will allow us to reach a broader consumer segment with Wheelman, while helping Midway to balance the risk profile of our product portfolio.”
“The development team in Newcastle, UK, has fine-tuned and polished Wheelman, especially in these last few months, to deliver a true Hollywood blockbuster experience,” said Craig Duncan, studio head, Midway Studios - Newcastle Ltd. “The demo due out for Xbox 360 and PS3 will show that Wheelman’s new game design mechanics like cinematic super moves and vehicular combat will revolutionize driving games.”
About Wheelman
Action film megastar Vin Diesel and his Tigon Studios are again blurring the lines between entertainment mediums, this time collaborating with Midway in the design and production of Wheelman to ensure an edge-of-your-seat gaming experience. Diesel’s voice and likeness will appear as the game’s main character, expert Wheelman Milo Burik.
Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic thrill ride guaranteed to leave you breathless. Weave in and out of traffic, engaging in intense vehicular warfare through the winding streets of Barcelona. Your vehicle is your weapon, leaving wreckage in your wake as you take out anything or anyone that gets in your way. Wheelman is slated for a March 24, 2009, ship date in North America and a March 27, 2009, street date in Europe for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and for Windows PC.
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