HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED "THE THING™" FOR
PLAYSTATION®2 XBOX™ AND PC SHIPS TO RETAILERS NATIONWIDE UNDER NEW BLACK LABEL
GAMES BANNER
Genre-Breaking Squad-Based Action
Survival/Horror Title Engages Player Through Emotion and Paranoia Available Now
in Stores
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., September 10, 2002 –
Black Label Games, Inc., a studio of the Games division of Vivendi Universal
Publishing, announced today that its critically-acclaimed game, "The Thing™," a
follow-up to John Carpenter’s cult-classic horror movie, has been published for
the Sony PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox™ video game
system from Microsoft and PC CD-ROM, and shipped to retailers nationwide. The
PlayStation®2 and Xbox™ versions of the title are co-published with Konami
Corporation in Japan.
A video game sequel to Universal Pictures’
1982 release from master horror director John Carpenter, "The Thing" picks up
where the movie’s storyline ended and features an all-new cast of characters.
Players assume the role of Blake, a military squad captain dispatched to
Antarctica to investigate the troubling disappearance of an American scientific
expedition. Before long, he discovers an alien beast with the power to transform
itself into every being that it kills.
Deadlier than the Antarctic chill, panic
quickly threatens to consume the hero and his men: Is Blake a trustworthy
leader? Are his fellow soldiers on his side? Or have they been infected by The
Thing?
London-based game developer Computer
Artworks, Ltd. has created a trust/fear interface for the game, an innovative
gameplay mechanic never before implemented in the survival/horror genre that
enables the player to monitor the psychological states of the non-playing
characters (NPC’s) and their willingness to cooperate with their leader. Unlike
most survival/horror games, "The Thing" demands that the player complete the
game with his increasingly suspicious squad-mates, relying on wits and an
arsenal of weaponry, including flame-throwers and machine guns, to escape
infection.
"’The Thing’" is a breakthrough title that
has piqued the interest of sophisticated gamers worldwide," said Torrie Dorrell,
general manager of Black Label Games. "Its fast-paced action and trust/fear
interface reinvigorate the survival horror genre to provide fans of ‘The Thing’
with the video game they have been waiting for 20 years to see and play."
Television actor William B. Davis ("The
X-Files") provides the voice of Blake’s nemesis, Whitely, in the game. The
ultra-realistic 3D game also features groundbreaking snow and lighting effects,
subtle sound cues and some of the most hyper-detailed and truly horrific
creatures ever to grace the gaming screen. "The Thing" is difficult to see, hard
to kill and seemingly impossible to evade.
"The Thing" video game has been rated M by
the ESRB for blood, gore and violence. Further information about "The Thing" is
available at
www.thethinggames.com.
About "The Thing"
Derived from John W. Campbell, Jr.’s short
story "Who Goes There?" and a remake of Howard Hawks’ 1951 film, John
Carpenter’s ("Christine," "Halloween") "The Thing" has become a cult phenomenon
since its theatrical release in 1982. The story of an alien monster that ravages
an Antarctic outpost with its power to morph into the shape of anything it
kills, the film was rated by Entertainment Weekly as the 12th-scariest movie of
all time, in the company of such classics as "Alien" and "The Exorcist."
*A Note to Parents: "The Thing" motion
picture is rated R. Consult
www.filmratings.com
for further information.
About Konami Corporation
KONAMI CORPORATION is a leading developer,
publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, specializing
in the home video game market KONAMI CORPORATION’s action and adventure titles
include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Castlevania,
among other top sellers The latest information about Konami can be found on the
Web at
www.konami.com.
KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with
subsidiary offices, Konami of America, Inc. in the US and Konami of Europe in
Frankfurt, Germany.
About Black Label Games
Black Label Games is Vivendi Universal Games’
(VU Games) most recent addition to its publishing group, and is focused on
developing titles based on original intellectual properties, as well as content
licensed from external strategic partners. During 2002 Black Label Games will
publish ‘The Thing," the highly anticipated action/survival-horror game, a video
game sequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 cult classic movie of the same name, and
"Enclave" for the Xbox platform. The unit will also release games based on the
greatest literary epic of the 20th century, J.R.R. Tolkien’s worldwide
best-selling saga "The Lord of the Rings," as part of Vivendi Universal
Publishing’s long-term agreement with Tolkien Enterprises.
About Vivendi Universal Games
Headquartered in New York, NY, Vivendi
Universal Games (www.vugames.com)
is a worldwide operating division of Vivendi Universal Publishing and a global
leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment. A leading publisher of PC,
console and online-based interactive content, the Company’s portfolio of
development studios includes Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Black
Label Games and Universal Interactive. Through its Partner Publishing Group,
Vivendi Universal Games also co-publishes and/or distributes interactive
products for a number of strategic partners, including Empire Interactive, Fox
Interactive, Mythic Entertainment and Simon & Schuster, among others Games are
one of parent company Vivendi Universal’s key content areas, along with movies,
music and other publishing activities.
