| Press Release |
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Asam Ahmad Senior PR Manager, THQ asam@thq.com T: +44 1483 767656 F: +44 1483 770727 |
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Mary Nelson Garrett Investor Relations, THQ T: +1 818 871 5090 |
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Genna Goldberg Jakks Pacific, Inc T: +1 310 456 7799 |
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CALABASAS HILLS, Calif. - February 21, 2001 - THQ Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: THQI) and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: JAKK) today announced the two newest videogames licensed from the highly popular World Wrestling Federation® (NYSE: WWF). The World Wrestling Federation franchise is expected to make its highly anticipated PlayStation® 2 debut during the fall of this year with WWF SmackDown!™ 3 (working title). Also scheduled to hit store shelves this summer is a World Wrestling Federation game for the Nintendo® Game Boy Color handheld system.
“Having sold well over four million World Wrestling Federation videogames to date on multiple platforms, the progression to PlayStation 2 will thrill our fans,” stated Alison Locke, executive vice president, North American Publishing, THQ. “We can’t wait to show off the look and feel of the World Wrestling Federation franchise on a system as powerful as PlayStation 2.”
“These additional games and platforms will strongly compliment the previously announced WWF Raw Is War™ for Xbox™, as well as our other World Wrestling Federation videogames already on the market,” said Jamie Wood, senior vice president Action Toys, JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
Developed by Yukes Co. of Japan, which is partially owned by THQ, WWF SmackDown! 3 for PlayStation 2 will feature all the bonecrunching, slobber knocking, over the top action that is the World Wrestling Federation. Yukes also developed the chart-topping WWF SmackDown!™ and WWF SmackDown!™ 2: Know Your Role. WWF SmackDown! 3 will now pick up where the others left off. It boasts 78 styles of matches, 35 superstars and over 1,000 different moves. There will be six-man tag-team matches and up to nine superstars can face off in the ring simultaneously. Players will be able to rush their opponent as they enter the ring, fight with their own tag team partner after a loss, and distract the referee before performing dastardly deeds. All of this comes complete with play-by-play commentary and a solid 60 frames per second.
The World Wrestling Federation game for Game Boy Color is developed by Way Forward Technologies and will allow the user to control one of four World Wrestling Federation Superstars in an all out effort to rescue the kidnapped Stephanie McMahon. This action adventure features six complete levels filled with kidnapping adversaries, implements of destruction, and hidden rooms. It also showcases interactive environments littered with power-ups allowing for superstar special moves. The unique story mode requires the hero to overtake all obstacles and opposition in order to safely return Stephanie McMahon and regain the World Wrestling Federation Championship.
World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, with sale offices in New York City, Chicago and Toronto. The company is an equal partner with NBC in the XFL, a new professional football league. The company can be found online at wwf.com and wwfecorpbiz.com.
JAKKS Pacific is a multi-brand toy company that designs, develops, produces and markets toys and related products under various brand names (including Flying Colors®, Road Champs®, Remco®, Child Guidance®, Color Club®, and Pentech®) in multiple product categories, including: Wheels; Action Figures; Crafts/Activities/Stationery; Infant/Pre-School; Trading Cards/Games; Plush; and Dolls. The Company also participates in a joint venture that has exclusive worldwide rights to publish and market World Wrestling Federation® videogames.
THQ Inc. develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software worldwide for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, and those manufactured by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. The THQ web site is located at http://www.thq.com.
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This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing and difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses. In addition, such statements could be affected by growth rates and market conditions relating to the interactive software industry and general domestic and international economic conditions. Specific information concerning these and other such factors is contained in the Company's most recent report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on November 13, 2000. A copy of this filing may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.