Electronic Arts Acquires Vision Software PTY Ltd.; EA Moves Into Continent of Africa.SAN MATEO San Mateo (săn mətā`ō), city (1990 pop. 85,486), San Mateo co., W Calif., on San Francisco Bay; inc. 1894. It is a commercial and retail center with some high-technology manufacturing. San Mateo, Spanish for St. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 1996--Electronics Arts (NASDAQ NASDAQin full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :ERTS ERTS Electronic Arts, Inc. (stock symbol) ERTS Earth Resources Technology Satellite (US NASA) ERTS Embedded Real Time Systems ERTS Enhanced Remote Transit Shed ), a leading global interactive entertainment software company, announced today the acquisition of Vision Software (Pty) Limited, an independent distributor of entertainment software, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. . Vision becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts (EA) and will continue to provide the African market with products from EA and other leading independent software publishers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The acquisition is part of the Company's commitment to worldwide direct sales channel expansion that began three years ago in continental Europe Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. . The move follows EA's purchase last March of Kingsoft GmbH, of Aachen, Germany, and a November 1994 purchase of DROsoft, S.A. of Madrid, Spain. Electronic Arts has additional European operations in the United Kingdom, France, and Sweden. This latest acquisition will allow EA to distribute entertainment software throughout the African continent, expanding on the network established by Vision Software. Vision was founded in 1990. It is the leader in entertainment and edutainment software sales in South Africa and has 16 full-time employees. The company has regional offices in Durban and Cape Town Cape Town or Capetown, city (1991 pop. 854,616), legislative capital of South Africa and capital of Western Cape, a port on the Atlantic Ocean. It was the capital of Cape Province before that province's subdivision in 1994. and is rapidly building export sales into Kenya and four neighboring countries (Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland). In addition to Electronic Arts products, Vision distributes software for other leading publishers. "South Africa is often called the `Gateway to Africa,'" said David Gardner David Gardner is one of the three founders of The Motley Fool. He is currently co-chairman of the board. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship. , Managing Director for Electronic Arts Ltd. "Establishing an office in Johannesburg through the acquisition of Vision Software provides Electronic Arts with a launch pad to sell and market our products to the most lucrative territory, South Africa, and a well-positioned base from which we can expand sales into Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and other African countries. "The continent of Africa represents a significant opportunity for Electronic Arts and for Vision as part of Electronic Arts," Gardner added. "Economies in many parts of the continent are expanding and we've experienced strong and consistent revenue growth in the region since our first direct product shipments just two years ago." Vision Software Managing Director Philip Bromley stated, "Our acquisition by Electronic Arts will enable us to provide a far higher level of service and expertise to both retailers and consumers, as well as opening avenues for development of new products and game formats." Electronic Arts, headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., is a leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, EA has an annual sales rate of over $520 million. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation and Sega Saturn The Sega Saturn (セガサターン Sega Sataan . Electronic Arts markets its products worldwide under five brand names: EA SPORTS, Electronic Arts Studio, Origin Systems Inc., Bullfrog Productions Bullfrog Productions was a UK computer game developer that was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux, and was one of the entrepreneurs of video gaming. The company became famous for their third release, the innovative god game Populous released in 1989. Ltd. and Jane's Combat Simulations Jane's Combat Simulations was a brand of PC flight and combat simulators released by Electronic Arts (EA). The Jane's Information Group sold the rights to EA so that EA could lend authenticity and accuracy to their growing line of combat games. . EA has subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Austin, Texas, and Seattle. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com. -0- Note to Editors: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, Origin Systems, Bullfrog Productions and Vision Software are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts or its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Jane's is a registered trademark of Jane's Information Group, Ltd. used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Electronic Arts Pat Becker, 415/513-7523 (Corp. Commun.) Caroline Hughes, 415/513-7860 (IR) David Wilson, 01753/549-442 (UK) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion