In industry coup, GT Interactive strikes exclusive global publishing agreement for 'Unreal,' Epic MegaGames' highly anticipated 3D action title.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 1996-- GT Interactive Also Obtains Rights to Sequel; `Unreal' Engine for Five Additional Games, `UnrealEd,' and Level Sets In an industry coup, GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in 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 : GTIS GTIS Government Telecommunications and Informatics Services (Canada) GTIS Global Trade Information Services GTIS GOES Tap Imaging System GTIS Government Technical Information Services (Canada) ) has obtained exclusive global publishing rights Literally, the right to publish a work. In the music industry, "publishing" is used as a catch-all shorthand for the administration of matters relating to the songwriter's and composer's share of income from a musical composition or recorded work. See Music Publishing. to Epic MegaGames Inc.'s Unreal, one of the most anticipated and sought-after 3D action games for 1997. GT Interactive plans to release Unreal, an Internet-adaptable multi-player PC game, during the first half of 1997. Under the agreement, GT Interactive obtains exclusive rights to publish Unreal and a sequel for PC, and an option for Sony PlayStation Sony Playstation - Playstation , Sega Saturn The Sega Saturn (セガサターン Sega Sataan and Nintendo 64 systems on a worldwide basis. In addition, GT Interactive obtains rights to Epics' UnrealEd, a proprietary 3D authoring tool for publishing associated game "level sets." GT Interactive may also utilize the specially designed Unreal engine The Unreal Engine is a widely-used game engine developed by Epic Games. First illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal, it has been the basis of many games since, including Unreal Tournament, , , Red Steel, Gears of War, to create five additional premier software titles. "Unreal is a hit-caliber title that breaks new ground in the 3D action category and will be a leader in our 1997 lineup," said Ron Chaimowitz, president and chief executive officer of GT Interactive. "We are excited to be working with the creative and technologically innovative artists at Epic to bring consumers the most advanced and entertaining software in the industry." "We are pleased to bring our crowning jewel, Unreal, to one of the industry's strongest publishers," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic MegaGames Inc. "With its unsurpassed marketing and distribution strength, and success in publishing 3D games, we believe GT Interactive will garner even greater recognition for Unreal in the marketplace." Designed for the Windows(R) 95/NT platform and Intel Pentium(R) processor-based computers, Unreal will take advantage of Intel's new MMX (MultiMedia EXtensions) A set of 57 additional instructions built into the Pentium MMX chip for improved multimedia and modem performance by performing mathematical operations on multiple sets of data at the same time (see SIMD). (TM) technology, providing 24-bit color, CD- quality audio and exhilarating visual effects -- all of which has led industry experts to cite Unreal as having created a new genre of gaming. According to PC Gamer (July) magazine, "The name of the game is Unreal and it's absolutely appropriate. Every indication is that this game and the few others like it will be the true next generation of computer gaming." Unreal puts one or multiple players via the Internet, in a highly detailed 3D alien world populated by two warring races. Optimized for high resolution play, Unreal's visuals set a new standard for realism -- water is transparent, flames randomly flicker, moving clouds cast shadows while dynamic lighting and music changes occur appropriate to the on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. action. Hundreds of polygons and frames of animation comprise Unreal's eerie monsters, and cinematic audio effects, including blowing wind, flowing water, crackling fires and terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. footsteps, enhance the game's one-of-a-kind experience. UnrealEd, Epic's advanced 3D authoring tool, utilizes constructive solid geometry (graphics) constructive solid geometry - (CSG) A method for describing the geometry of complex scenes by applying set operations to primitive objects. See also CSG-tree. , a sophisticated yet easy-to- learn method of creating 3D environments and objects that allows consumers to create their own Unreal worlds. Epic MegaGames Inc. is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. based in Rockville, MD, with offices in the U.K. Established in 1991, Epic produces, markets and distributes cutting-edge PC games. Best known for Jill of the Jungle Jill of the Jungle is a trilogy of platformer computer games released in 1992 by Epic MegaGames. It was intended to rival computer games from other shareware companies such as id Software and Apogee Software, Ltd.. and Epic Pinball, the company has released more than 20 products. In addition to worldwide retail publishing arrangements, Epic distributes its products directly to end users using the shareware model. Additional company and product information may be obtained through Epic's World Wide Web site at http://www.epicgames.com. Headquartered in NY, with offices in London, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix and Minneapolis, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment, edutainment and value-priced software marketed under the GT Interactive, Humongous Entertainment and WizardWorks brands, for IBM-compatible and Macintosh computers as well as 32- and 64-bit gaming systems. Among GT Interactive's best-selling titles are Duke Nukem 3D and Doom II. Located at www.gtinteractive.com on the World Wide Web, GT Interactive is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol GTIS. Pentium is a registered trademark and MMX is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Windows 95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. CONTACT: (media) or (investors) Allyne Mills Dawn Berrie Dan Harnett 212/726-4235 212/726-4202 |
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