THQ AND NICKELODEON SHIP
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS™: REVENGE OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
Most Popular Program On Kids’ TV
Arrives On Game Boy® Advance
CALABASAS HILLS, Calif.
– Sept. 12, 2002 – THQ® Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: THQI) and Nickelodeon today announced
the release of SpongeBob SquarePants™: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman for
Game Boy® Advance. This underwater adventure is based on Nickelodeon’s top-rated
kids’ program, SpongeBob SquarePants — the highest rated property on kids’ TV.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman is now available at
retailers nationwide.
“SpongeBob SquarePants is the #1
kids show on all of TV, with more than 57.4 million viewers a month, and is one
of the entertainment world’s hottest licenses at the moment” stated Peter Dille,
vice president, Marketing, THQ. “And as a proven videogame property, we’re
excited to be shipping SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman
well in advance of the start to the holiday buying season.”
“THQ’s proven ability to transform
our award-winning kids’ programs into exciting gameplay has brought us
tremendous success in the videogame category,” stated Steve Youngwood, Vice
President, Nickelodeon Media Products Group. “We are pleased to be kicking off
our 2002 holiday lineup, our most expansive to date, with our premier character
— SpongeBob SquarePants.”
In SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge
of the Flying Dutchman for Game Boy Advance, players assume the role of
SpongeBob, as he discovers a magic bottle and unwillingly unleashes the Flying
Dutchman. Furious that he was disturbed, the Dutchman places a curse on
SpongeBob. To lift the curse, SpongeBob must seek out 10 lost treasures that
have been scattered throughout Bikini Bottom. The game features all of the
favorite characters from the television show including Sandy Cheeks, Squidward
and Patrick Star. Players can explore 11 exciting levels within five
oceanic-sized chapters including: Bikini Bottom, Jellyfish Fields, Outer Town,
Goo Lagoon and Dutchman’s Underworld. Multiple mini-games can be unlocked by
collecting gold coins, adding hours of gameplay to this handheld undersea
adventure.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge
of the Flying Dutchman for
PlayStation®2 is scheduled for release this November, SpongeBob SquarePants:
Revenge of the Flying Dutchman for GameCube™ is scheduled for release this
December and SpongeBob SquarePants™: Employee of the Month for PC is
scheduled for release in September.
For more information on SpongeBob
SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman or the rest of the THQ holiday
lineup, please visit www.thq.com.
About Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon, now in its 23rd year,
is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global
business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes
television programming and production in the United States and around the world,
plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.
Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 84 million households
and has been the number-one-rated basic-cable network for more than six
consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are
trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
About THQ
THQ Inc. is a leading, worldwide
developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for a variety of
hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, wireless devices, and those manufactured
by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Nintendo and Microsoft. The THQ web
site is located at www.thq.com. The THQ Wireless site is located at
www.thqwireless.com.
# # #
This press release contains
statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current
expectations, estimates and projections about THQ’s business based, in part, on
assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of THQ’s
future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are
difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ
materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking
statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those
described above and the following: changes in demand for THQ’s products, product
mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive
products and pricing and difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired
businesses. In addition, such statements could be affected by growth rates and
market conditions relating to the interactive software industry and general
domestic and international economic conditions. Specific information concerning
these and other such factors is contained in THQ’s Prospectus dated March 26,
2002 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2002. A
copy of this filing may be obtained by contacting THQ or the SEC. The
forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which
they are made, and THQ does not undertake any obligation to update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of
this release.
