Atari and Firaxis Games Enter into Long-Term Development/Publishing Deal.Entertainment Editors/Business Editors/High-Tech Writers NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2003 Deal Broadens Existing Relationship to Encompass New Titles and Further Expand Hugely Successful Sid Meier's CIVILIZATION(R) Franchise Global interactive entertainment publisher Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) and Firaxis Games Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. It was founded in 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds upon leaving Microprose. The company focuses on strategy games and is based in Hunt Valley, Maryland in the United States. today announced a long-term development and publishing deal. Expanding upon Noun 1. expanding upon - adding information or detail expansion step-up, increase - the act of increasing something; "he gave me an increase in salary" Atari's established publishing relationship with Firaxis Games, the renowned developer behind the blockbuster SID MEIER'S CIVILIZATION(R) franchise and home of the legendary designer Sid Meier Sidney K. Meier (born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer strategy games of all time. , the new deal includes the development/publishing of the long-awaited return of SID MEIER'S PIRATES!(R); a variety of additional properties from the CIVILIZATION(R) franchise over the next several years; and the transfer of rights to Firaxis of certain classic Sid Meier games, some of which will be published by Atari. The new PIRATES!(R), which will launch on the PC in 2004, will be the follow-up to the award-winning 1987 smash hit game which set the industry standard for innovative game design with its unique blend of open-ended role-playing, real-time adventures and thrilling action sequences. CIVILIZATION(R) CONQUESTS, the new expansion pack to CIVILIZATION III Sid Meier's Civilization III is a turn-based strategy computer game by Firaxis Games, the sequel to Sid Meier's Civilization II. It was followed by Civilization IV. , will debut in time for the holidays, joining the illustrious CIVILIZATION franchise which has already sold more then 4.5 million units worldwide to date. Atari has transferred to Firaxis the rights to several classic properties, including SID MEIER'S PIRATES!(R), SID MEIER'S COLONIZATION(R), COVERT ACTION, GUNSHIP gun·ship n. An armed aircraft, such as a helicopter, that is used to support troops and provide fire cover. (R), SILENT SERVICE: THE SUBMARINE SIMULATION(R), F19 STEALTH FIGHTER, F15 STRIKE EAGLE and SID MEIER'S CPU BACH(TM). Firaxis Games plans to continue to partner with Atari to publish certain of these key properties. And, in a further extension of the relationship between the two companies, the first rights of negotiation to develop and publish two unnamed future titles have been granted to Firaxis and Atari, respectively. "The team at Firaxis, led by Sid Meier and Jeff Briggs, is among the most accomplished and respected in our industry," said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Atari, Inc. "We could not be more delighted to expand what has already been such a productive and successful relationship with Firaxis." Mr. Bonnell continued, "Deals such as this not only demonstrate Atari's commitment to working with the finest talent but also our resolve to deliver Triple A games now and into the future, as well as our commitment to the PC gaming market. We share Firaxis' passion for innovation and desire to continue to push the boundaries of interactive entertainment and we, like the rest of the gaming world, will await these new titles with great anticipation." "With Civ III, Firaxis and Atari have shown the world that we can take a fresh look at the games that fans have played and loved for decades and deliver some of the best gameplay experiences available today," said Sid Meier, Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games. "We're inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. with requests from fans asking us to bring back some of my classic games and I'm excited that we now have that opportunity," Meier added. "Atari is a premier publisher in the industry and we're thrilled that our strong relationship with them will once again reunite us with Sid's classic games," said Jeff Briggs, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Firaxis Games. "These titles represent some of the most engaging and fun games ever created for the PC, and both Firaxis and Atari are looking forward to bringing these classics to a new generation of gamers." About Firaxis FIRAXIS Games, home of legendary designer Sid Meier, is one of the world's premier independent game development studios. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, FIRAXIS has created some of the most successful and award-winning PC games on the market. The company's most recent hit titles include: Sid Meier's SimGolf
Sid Meier's Sim Golf is a computer game created by Sid Meier, Firaxis, and Maxis in 2002. (published by Electronic Arts), the mega-hit Sid Meier's Civilization III (published by Atari), and Sid Meier's Civilization III: Play The World (published by Atari), the multiplayer expansion pack to the legendary strategy game. Firaxis has a rich history of creating great games including: Sid Meier's Gettysburg!, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri “SMAC” redirects here. For other uses, see SMAC (disambiguation). Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (sometimes abbreviated to SMAC or Alpha Centauri , Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, published in September 1999, is an expansion pack for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, a turn-based strategic 4X computer game. It was designed by Timothy Train and other members of Firaxis Games. and Sid Meier's Antietam!. For more information on FIRAXIS Games visit www.firaxis.com. About Atari New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driver(TM), Enter the Matrix(TM), Neverwinter Nights(TM), Stuntman stunt·man n. A man who substitutes for a performer in scenes requiring physical daring or involving physical risk. stuntman n → especialista m stuntman (TM), Test Drive(R), Unreal(R) Tournament 2003, and Unreal(R) Championship; and mass-market and children's games such as Backyard Sports(TM), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM) and Dora the Explorer Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A pilot episode for the series aired in 1999, and Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. (TM), Civilization(R), Dragon Ball Z “DBZ” redirects here. For the meteorological term, see dBZ (meteorology). Dragon Ball Z (ドラゴンボールZ (R) and RollerCoaster Tycoon(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary majority-owned subsidiary A firm in which more than 50% of outstanding voting stock is owned by the parent company. of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com. (C) 2003 Atari, Inc. All rights reserved. Civilization, Civ and Sid Meier's Civilization are U.S. registered trademarks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
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