Infogrames Entertainment to Acquire Hasbro Interactive and Games.com.Business/Technology Editors NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo is available in a Smart News Release(TM) on Business Wire's Home Page at www.businesswire.com Will Gain Rights to Develop and Publish Interactive Games Based on Current and Future Hasbro Properties Through Long-Term Licensing Agreement LYON, France & PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2000 Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257) and Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :HAS) jointly announced today that they have entered into a strategic agreement, creating one of the foremost powerhouses in the mass market digital interactive entertainment world. The agreement is comprised of three main elements, including the Infogrames acquisition of Hasbro Interactive Hasbro Interactive was a video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large game and toy company. Hasbro Interactive was formed late in 1995 in order to compete in the computer and video game arena. ; a long-term licensing agreement giving Infogrames exclusive rights to develop and publish digital interactive games based on current and future Hasbro properties on all existing and future digital interactive formats; and the acquisition of Games.com. Infogrames will purchase 100% of the common stock of Hasbro Interactive and Games.com for $100 million - comprised of $95 million in Infogrames Entertainment SA securities (approximately 4.5 million common shares) and $5 million in cash. In addition, Hasbro will receive an annual guarantee from Infogrames based on sales generated from the licensing agreement. The agreements are subject to the approval of the shareholders of Infogrames, regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. The companies expect the deal to close early in the first calendar quarter of 2001. "Infogrames and Hasbro are truly poised to become worldwide leaders in the digital entertainment market," said Bruno Bonnell Bruno Bonnell is one of the founders of Infogrames Entertainment SA. A qualified chemical engineer, Bonnell received a degree in economics at the Université Paris IX. He began his long career on the Thomson TO7, one of the earliest French-produced home computers, before founding , Chairman 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 Infogrames. "Infogrames' external growth strategy consists of three requirements: a willingness of the prospective partner's management to share our strategic vision, a complementary set of skills and products, and finally, value for our shareholders. The Hasbro Interactive and Games.com acquisition meets these criteria," said Mr. Bonnell. "Infogrames' access to Hasbro's long list of well-known properties fits perfectly with our long-term publishing strategy to become the leader in family entertainment. The terms are beneficial for Infogrames Entertainment, since they have no direct impact on the company's future investment capacity." "This arrangement with Infogrames is a very positive one for Hasbro on many different levels," said Alan Hassenfeld, Hasbro's Chairman and CEO. "First, we have aligned ourselves with a premier player in the interactive arena. Second, this strategic agreement with Infogrames meshes with our strategy of reducing costs as we focus on consistently delivering profits going forward. Third, this arrangement will provide a continuing revenue stream to Hasbro over the long-term through Infogrames' expertise in leveraging our current and future properties." The agreement is comprised of three main elements: Infogrames Entertainment's acquisition of 100% of the common stock of Hasbro Interactive, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. The acquisition gives Infogrames a catalog of titles based on well-known properties, including: --The MICROPROSE brand and titles, including the international hit CIVILIZATION, FALCON, and ROLLER COASTER TYCOON, the number one selling PC game in the US according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. PC DATA'S latest report. --The legendary ATARI name and properties, such as CENTIPEDE centipede, common name for members of a single class, Chilopoda, of the phylum Arthropoda. Centipedes are the most familiar of the myriapodous arthropods, which consist of five groups of arthropods that had a separate origin from other arthropods. , MISSILE COMMAND Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari Inc. that was also licensed to Sega for European release. The plot of Missile Command is simple: the player's six cities are being attacked by an endless hail of ballistic missiles, some of them even splitting like , and the historic PONG (games) Pong - A computer game invented in 1972 by Atari's Nolan Bushnell. The game is a minimalist rendering of table tennis. Each of the two players are represented as a white slab, controllable by a knob, which deflects a bouncing ball. , which pioneered the video game revolution. The exclusive rights to develop and publish interactive games based on current and future Hasbro, Inc. properties, including: --The interactive versions of popular Hasbro board games This is a list of board games. This page classifies board games according to the concerns which might be uppermost for someone organizing a gaming event or party. See the article on game classification for other alternatives, or see for a list of board game articles. , which include MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE(1), CLUE, RISK, AND BOGGLE bog·gle v. bog·gled, bog·gling, bog·gles v.intr. 1. To hesitate as if in fear or doubt. 2. . --The interactive versions of children's games and toys, such as MR. POTATO HEAD Mr. Potato Head is a popular children's doll, consisting of a plastic model of a potato. Originally, the potato is blank; however, it can be decorated with numerous attachable plastic parts to make a face, including a mustache, hat, nose and other features. History Mr. , TONKA TRUCKS, ACTION MAN, MY LITTLE PONY, and CANDYLAND. --The massively multi-player game DUNGEONS Dungeons may refer to:
Under the terms of the agreement, Infogrames gains the rights through a licensing agreement with Hasbro to develop games based on Hasbro properties for a period of 15 years plus an option for an additional 5 years based on performance, on all existing and future digital interactive formats. Terms of the licensing agreement are consistent with other traditional Infogrames' Entertainment licensing agreements. These formats include: current and next-generation video game consoles This is a list of video game consoles by the era they appeared in. Eras are named based on the dominant console type of the era (even though not all consoles of those eras are of the same type). Some eras are referred to based on how many bits a major console could process. such as Sony PlayStation Sony Playstation - Playstation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Sega Dreamcast, and Nintendo GameBoy Advance and GameCube, personal computers, broadband networks  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. , interactive television, cellular telephones, arcade, and hand-held devices (PDAs). In keeping with its global multi-platform strategy, Infogrames will leverage Hasbro's unmatched content by developing titles on a variety of platforms that appeal to a global market. These Hasbro Interactive brands, together with Hasbro's owned brands, make up a catalog of more than 200 family titles that are being managed by a team of mass market product experts who have helped Hasbro Interactive succeed in becoming the third largest PC publisher in the U.S. Additionally, approximately 60 titles are currently in development, including PlayStation2 and Xbox versions of franchises from HASBRO, MICROPROSE and ATARI: ZOO TYCOON, MONOPOLY, MICRO MACHINES, TWISTER, CIRCUS MAXIMUS, CIVILIZATION, AND GRAND PRIX 4. Infogrames will also seek out additional partnership opportunities with telecommunications providers, media companies and hardware manufacturers to bring these franchises to other platforms. The long term licensing agreement combines Hasbro's expertise in developing successful mass-market properties and Infogrames' expertise in bringing top properties to the digital interactive market. Hasbro's catalog of games and toys will be strengthened by their digital interactive counterparts, published and globally distributed by Infogrames. In addition, Infogrames' titles based on Hasbro properties will benefit from Hasbro's powerful marketing programs for their games and toys. Acquisition of Games.com As part of the agreement, Infogrames acquires Games.com, an online games portal launching in early 2001. Games.com has already attracted over four million visitors to its site, with more than one million people having already registered to receive information about its launch. At its launch, Games.com will allow visitors to play more than 30 online games based on Hasbro properties, some of which include MONOPOLY, CLUE, SCRABBLE(1), ASTEROIDS This is a list of numbered minor planets, nearly all of them asteroids, in sequential order. As of late September 2007 there are 164,612 numbered minor planets, and many more not yet numbered. Most asteroids are ordinary and not particularly noteworthy. , and RISK. In addition, visitors to the site can find news, information, tips and hints about games featured on Games.com. Visitors to the site will also have the ability to chat with other players and participate in tournaments based on widely recognized games from the Hasbro catalog. Games.com's revenue strategy includes e-commerce, sponsorships and individual subscriptions. Infogrames plans to extend Games.com to broadband users in the future. JP Morgan & Lazard Freres advised Infogrames and Salomon Smith Barney advised Hasbro in this financial transaction. For additional information, Infogrames has posted a detailed presentation on today's announcement at www.infogrames.com and www.infogrames-corporate.com. Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257) is a worldwide leader in the interactive entertainment software industry. Headquartered in France, the company publishes and distributes award-winning computer and video games This article is about the British magazine covering computer and video games. For the American magazine, see Computer Games Magazine. Computer And Video Games (CVG for the PlayStation(R) game console, PlayStation(R) 2 computer entertainment system, Microsoft(R) Xbox, Nintendo(R) 64, Nintendo(R) Game Boy(R) Color, Sega(R) Dreamcast(TM), Macintosh(R), and personal computer platforms, as well as interactive digital television platforms, mobile smart devices (WAP (1) (Wireless Access Point) See access point. (2) (Wireless Application Protocol) A standard for providing cellular phones, pagers and other handheld devices with secure access to e-mail and text-based Web pages. , HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language) A specialized version of HTML designed to enable wireless pagers, cellphones and other handheld devices to obtain information from Web pages. HDML was developed by Phone. ) and in-flight entertainment systems. Founded in 1983 by chairman and CEO Bruno Bonnell, Infogrames has published many award-winning franchises in its 17-year history, such as Alone In The Dark(TM), Test Drive(R), Driver(TM), Deer Hunter(R), Oddworld(TM), Unreal(TM), and V-Rally(TM). The company is also known for its best-selling and award-winning line of children's entertainment software from Humongous Entertainment(R) starring Putt-Putt(R), Freddi Fish(TM), Pajama Sam(R) and SPY Fox(TM), as well as its successful Macintosh publishing label, Macsoft, the number one publisher of Macintosh entertainment software. In addition, Infogrames has a number of key strategic licenses including Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . Looney Tunes(TM), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM), AM General Hummer(R), and Harley-Davidson(R). Infogrames distributes its games in approximately 60 different countries worldwide. For more information, visit Infogrames' US Web site at www.us.infogrames.com. Based in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY, Infogrames, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFGM) 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 Infogrames Entertainment SA and serves as the headquarters for the company's operations in North America. Hasbro is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, SUPER SOAKER, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, they popularized the collectible card game genre with in brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. SAFE HARBOR Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. STATEMENT Certain statements contained in this release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "expect", "intend", "may", "planned", "potential", "should", "will" and "would". Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual actions or results may differ materially from those expected or anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Specific factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, third party actions or approvals that could delay or increase the cost of implementation of the strategic agreement or alter actions and reduce actual results; the risk that anticipated benefits of the strategic agreement may not occur or be delayed or reduced in their realization; and with respect to the online game site initiative, technical difficulties in adapting games to online format and establishing the online game site that could delay or increase the cost of the site becoming operational; the acceptance by consumers of the games and other products and services to be offered at the site; competition from other online game sites and other game playing formats; and the fact online game revenues may not be sufficient to cover the significant advertising and other expenditures required or the support, service and product enhancement demands of online users. There is no undertaking of an obligation to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release. (1) In the United States only. Note: A Photo is available at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.120600/bb5 |
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