ASCII Entertainment Software Announces New Subsidiary, AGETEC, to Handle Videogame Publishing Business; Announces Full 1999 Line-Up.REDWOOD CITY Redwood City, city (1990 pop. 66,072), seat of San Mateo co., W Calif., on San Francisco Bay; inc. 1868. Manufactures include commmunications, electrical, electronic, and medical equipment. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 1999--ASCII Entertainment Software (AES) announced today that it is creating a wholly-owned subsidiary, AGETEC, Inc. (pronounced "Age-tech") to focus on its videogame publishing business. The new company's name is an acronym for ASCII ASCII or American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a set of codes used to represent letters, numbers, a few symbols, and control characters. Originally designed for teletype operations, it has found wide application in computers. Game Entertainment Technology and will be fully operational March 1, 1999. AGETEC will assume the leadership role established by AES in the U.S. and European videogame and accessory markets. In connection with the transfer, AES' European subsidiary, ASCII Entertainment Europe, will be re-named AGETEC Europe. AGETEC plans a smooth transition, with no business interruption or changes in its AES' customer/supplier relationships. All of AGETEC's employees will be brought over from AES. The company's principal office, phone and FAX numbers, and contact information will remain unchanged. "Under the AGETEC banner we'll continue to focus on creating the best game experience possible for our customers," said Hide Irie, president of both companies. "We have our finger on the pulse of the gaming market, and AES' successful hardware and software track record is the perfect springboard for AGETEC as we head into 1999 with the strongest line-up in our history." New Products AGETEC's 1999 release schedule includes seven software titles: R-Types, Echo Night, Shadow Tower, Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within, Fighter Maker Fighter Maker is a series of games for PlayStation consoles and Microsoft Windows. It featured a robust character creation system, letting players even create animations. There are two versions of the game, Fighter Maker (FM series) and , and Rising Zan for the Sony PlayStation Sony Playstation - Playstation (R) game console See video game console. ; and AirBoardin' USA for the Nintendo(R) 64. New hardware titles include the ASCII Wireless Pad for the Sony PlayStation game console and the ASCII Pad 64 for the Nintendo(R) 64. AES' line-up has included successful accessories such as the ASCII After Shock Steering Wheel, the first licensed dual vibration compatible steering wheel for the Sony PlayStation(R) game console; and the ASCIIWheel 64, the first licensed steering wheel for the Nintendo(R) 64. AES' software lineup, which includes games such as Armored Core: Project Phantasma, Backstreet backstreet Noun a street in a town far from the main roads Adjective denoting secret or illegal activities: a backstreet abortion backstreet n Billiards billiards, any one of a number of games played with a tapered, leather-tipped stick called a cue and various numbers of balls on a rectangular, cloth-covered slate table with raised and cushioned edges. , Clock Tower, and the King's Field King's Field is a first person RPG series by From Software and Agetec. It is known for its excellent, brooding atmosphere and cryptic, labyrinthine dungeons. Various titles in this series have been released on PlayStation, PlayStation 2, cellphone and PlayStation Portable. series have firmly established the company as a publisher of first-class games. Mitch Kampf to Head AGETEC's Sales and Marketing As part of AGETEC's continuing commitment to the videogame market, the company has named 10-year industry veteran Mitch Kampf as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Kampf has been contracting with AES since February 1998, and brings industry experience from companies such as Accolade, Renovation, PF Magic, and TecMagik. About AGETEC AGETEC, a subsidiary of AES, is a world-class publisher of hardware accessories and software for the videogame market. AES is the U.S. affiliate of ASCII Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan. |
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