LPWire: "Finding Nemo'' for Game Boy Advance
THQ Announces Disney/Pixar's ``Finding Nemo'' for Game Boy Advance and Two Titles for PC/Mac Scheduled to Release With the Animated Movie in May 2003Games Scheduled for Release with Previously Announced PlayStation(R) 2, Xbox(TM) and GameCube(R)
THQ(R) Inc. today announced that it will release Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo" for Game Boy Advance and two games for PC/Mac. The video games, along with games for the PlayStation(R) 2, GameCube and Xbox platforms are scheduled for release concurrent with the "Finding Nemo" theatrical release on May 30, 2003. THQ's interactive adventures based on "Finding Nemo" are the first under the Company's exclusive, multi-property publishing agreement with award-winning interactive entertainment publisher Disney Interactive and the Academy Award(R)-winning Pixar Animation Studios.
"Pixar has a proven track record of creating blockbuster animated motion pictures including 'Toy Story,' 'A Bug's Life,' 'Toy Story 2' and, most recently, 'Monsters, Inc.'" said Peter Dille, vice president, marketing, THQ. "Our interactive adaptations of each of these Disney/Pixar properties have been top performers at retail and we look forward to bringing 'Finding Nemo' to multiple platforms, alongside the movie, for kids of all ages to enjoy."
Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo" for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance will follow the adventures of Nemo and his marine-life friends. The game is set in a 3-D underwater environment and will allow players to play key movie characters including Nemo, Marlin and Dory, each with varied abilities. Gamers will explore several levels including mini games and bonus levels. The PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions are in development by Travellers Tales, and the Game Boy Advance version is in development by Vicarious Visions.
THQ will also publish two different titles based on the movie for the PC/Mac, each developed by KnowWonder, an Amaze Entertainment Studio. The first features arcade-style gameplay and follows the same concept of the console games. The second will be filled with fun mini-games and puzzle challenges involving the film's central characters. Each game will be geared to entertain, challenge, and inspire kids to exercise their creative and critical thinking skills. The games will include puzzles designed to cultivate exploration, cooperation and problem solving. Following the movie's message, the game will help teach children courage, perseverance, trust and the value of coming to the aid of one another.
For more information on "Finding Nemo," or the rest of the THQ video game lineup, please visit www.THQ.com.
About Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo"
The Academy Award(R)-winning creators of "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life" and "Monsters, Inc." take the art and technology of computer animation to a whole new level in this stunning underwater adventure with memorable characters, humor and heartfelt emotion. "Finding Nemo" follows the comedic and eventful journeys of two fish -- Marlin and his son Nemo -- who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from home and thrust into a fish tank in a dentist's office overlooking Sydney harbor. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly-but-forgetful fish named Dory, the overly cautious father embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic journey to rescue his son -- who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home.
About Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Feature Animation is a division of The Walt Disney Studios, which has created and produced the most successful animated films of all time. Walt Disney Studios is a unit of The Walt Disney Company, the world's foremost family entertainment company engaged in animated and live-action film and television production; cable and broadcast television; theme parks and resorts; character merchandise licensing; consumer products retailing; and book, magazine and music publishing.
About Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios (www.pixar.com) combines creative and technical artistry to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. In partnership with Disney, Pixar has created four of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: Academy Award(R)-winning "Toy Story" (1995); "A Bug's Life" (1998); Golden Globe-winner "Toy Story 2" (1999); and the Academy Award(R)-winning "Monsters, Inc." (2001). These four films have earned more than $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The Northern California studios' next three film releases are "Finding Nemo" (May 30, 2003), "The Incredibles" (holiday 2004) and "Cars" (holiday 2005).
About Disney Interactive
Disney Interactive, Inc., a worldwide leader in the creation of innovative interactive entertainment, develops, markets and globally distributes a wide variety of interactive family-oriented entertainment, educational and sports CD-ROMs and video games. Disney Interactive is the multimedia arm of The Walt Disney Company's Consumer Products business unit. For more information on Disney Interactive's products, visit www.disneyinteractive.com.
About THQ
THQ Inc. is a leading, worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Nintendo and Microsoft. The THQ web site is located at www.thq.com. The THQ Wireless site is located at www.thqwireless.com.
ACADEMY AWARD(R) is the registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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 THQ's business based, in part, on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of THQ's 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, but not limited to, those described above and the following: changes in demand for THQ'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 THQ's Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 16, 2002. A copy of this filing may be obtained by contacting THQ or the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and THQ does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
--Posted November 12, 2002
Source: THQ