Activision Targets Los Angeles' Underworld With The Worldwide Debut Of True Crime™: Streets Of L.A.™
Santa Monica, CA - November 4, 2003 - It's time for gamers to gear up for the deepest combination of driving, fighting and shooting ever featured in one game now that Activision, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) True Crime™: Streets of L.A.™ is available at retail stores nationwide. The much anticipated title, which was featured on 22 magazine covers in the U.S., U.K., Europe and Australia, has already received critical acclaim, earning a 9 out of 10 from IGN.com.
Activision is supporting the game's launch with a multi-million dollar marketing and advertising campaign that includes alliances with 'The Source Hip Hop Music Awards 2003,' MTV2 and PUMA, as well as extensive print, in-theater, broadcast and online advertising that is expected to deliver more than 240 million impressions with the male 18-34 demographic.
Animated vignettes of True Crime: Streets of L.A. will appear during the broadcasts of 'The Source Hip Hop Awards 2003.' The spots will feature Snoop Dogg, Benzino and True Crime's Nick Kang cruising and hangin' out at the awards ceremony and will be used to lead into commercial breaks. 'The Source Hip Hop Music Awards 2003' is scheduled to premiere on BET on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and will encore throughout the month of November.
Further supporting the game's launch, Activision's True Crime: Streets of L.A. will be featured during MTV2's 'Spankin New' programming during the month of November.
As a part of its alliance with Activision's True Crime: Streets of L.A., the game will be available to purchase in all PUMA Flagship stores nationwide. The PUMA Santa Monica store will feature a True Crime: Streets of L.A. kiosk, giving consumers a chance to play the game. In addition, PUMA will launch a mini website on www.puma.com where consumers can purchase the apparel selections featured in the game as modeled by Nick Kang and the cast of characters.
'True Crime: Streets of L.A. delivers an in-depth storyline that will cast gamers as the lead character in a crime drama full of colorful characters, fast cars, explosive weapons and challenging enemies,' said Larry Goldberg, executive vice president, Activision Worldwide Studios. 'Using 240 square miles of L.A. as the backdrop for the action and a branching storyline full of unpredictable twists and turns, gamers are sure to be entertained and challenged each time they play.'
Developed by Luxoflux, True Crime: Streets of L.A. thrusts players into the role of rogue Elite Operations Division operative Nick Kang, a no-holds-barred badass, whose brutal reputation and lethal skills have landed him the nasty task of taking down the Chinese Triad and Russian Mafia cartel that have turned Los Angeles into a war zone. Gamers take part in explosive gun battles with double fisted firepower, devastating martial arts brawls, and high-speed shootouts on the streets of L.A. The game's unique branching missions include locating hostile witnesses, infiltrating criminal-infested locations, taking out evasive informants and busting the heavily armed and deadly bad guys.
True Crime: Streets of L.A. features an all-star voice cast of top Hollywood talent including Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Michael Madsen, Russell Wong, Michelle Rodriguez, Ron Perlman, CCH Pounder, James Hong, Mako and Keone Young. The game's soundtrack features more than 50 original music tracks performed by such renowned West Coast rap artists as Snoop Dogg, Westside Connection (Ice Cube, Mac 10 and WC), Warren G, KAM, Jayo Felony, Boo Yaa Tribe, Easy-E Jr., among others. Additionally, the game's launch will be supported by a 20-song CD soundtrack that will debut on November 11. The soundtrack was produced by Bigg Swoop and Bright Riley for Vybe Squad Records and is being released by Koch Entertainment.
True Crime: Streets of L.A. is available now for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube™. The game has been rated 'M' ('Mature' - Blood and Gore, Mature Sexual Themes, Strong Language and Violence) by the ESRB. A wireless version of True Crime: Streets of L.A. is also available. To find out more about the game go to www.truecrimela.com.
About Koch Entertainment
KOCH Entertainment is the leading and fastest-growing independent music company in the U.S. KOCH's overall operations encompass record and video labels, music publishing, as well as distribution companies in the U.S. and Canada. KOCH Entertainment is the market leader among independent labels and distributors in both the U.S. and Canada and its record labels had the largest number of Billboard charting albums among independents in 2002/2003.
About Activision, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $864 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.
The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are 'forward-looking statements.' The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Activision's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These important factors, and other factors that could affect Activision, are described in Activision's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers of this press release are referred to such filings.
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