November 5, 2008
IMAGI STUDIOS & D3Publisher Ink
Exclusive Worldwide Videogame Publishing Agreement For ASTRO BOY
First Games Based on the
Spectacular CG-Animated Movie Scheduled for Q4 2009
D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and
developer of interactive entertainment software, together with its parent D3,
Inc., today announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Imagi Studios for
videogames based on the new animated adventure film, Astro Boy. The games are
scheduled to be released for console and handheld systems in Q4 2009 to coincide
the worldwide release of the movie in October 2009.
“The rich history and endearing
story of Astro Boy appeals to fans around the globe and translates exceptionally
well to the interactive space,” said Yoji Takenaka, president and chief
executive officer, North America and Europe, D3P. “We look forward to working
with Imagi to bring the film’s unique cast of characters to life in a compelling
videogame that fans and gamers of all ages will enjoy.”
Erin Corbett, President of Imagi
Studios U.S., said: “We are delighted to have D3Publisher as our exclusive
worldwide interactive partner, and we look forward to seeing Astro Boy raised to
new superhero heights in the videogame universe.”
About Astro Boy (The Movie)
Set in the future, Imagi Studio’s
Astro Boy is a classic superhero origin story about a young robot with
incredible powers and his adventure-filled journey in search of his identity and
destiny, taking him into a netherworld of robot gladiators before he returns to
save Metro City.
David Bowers (Flushed Away) is
directing Astro Boy from a screenplay written by Timothy Harris (Kindergarten
Cop, Trading Places), with Maryann Garger producing. The all-star cast is headed
by Academy Award®-winning actor Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill
Nighy, Eugene Levy and Donald Sutherland, with Freddie Highmore in the title
role.
The iconic character Astro Boy has
found global popularity since his creation in the early 1950s by Japan’s Osamu
Tezuka, known as the “god of manga” and “father of anime”, and has been the hero
of three acclaimed animated television series aired around the world.
Astro Boy, slated for domestic
release on October 23, 2009, is being distributed worldwide by Summit
Entertainment except for Imagi’s reserved territories of Japan, Hong Kong and
China.
