Vivendi, Empire Interactive Extend Distribution Agreement

Vivendi Universal Games and UK publisher Empire Interactive have announced that they have signed an exclusive North American distribution agreement, under which VU Games will market and distribute Empire's latest games for PC and console in the U.S. Vivendi has previously signed deals with Empire to distribute Finnish-developed PS2/Xbox 'destructive racing game' FlatOut in the U.S. during 2005, following on from a long-term U.S. distribution agreement between VU Games and Empire, originally signed back in 2001, which has included the release of games such as Starsky & Hutch. Though the companies are calling these releases 'casual', they seem to refer to value-priced titles for the American market, including console games Mashed: Drive to Survive, Pro Pinball and Victorious Boxers, as well as back-catalog PC games including Space Invaders, Bad Boys 2 and the Pro Pinball series. The games will start shipping in North America in October 2005. Ian Higgins, CEO of Empire, commented, "We have worked with VU Games many times in the past and teaming up with them on this multi-platform project was a natural decision particularly given the strengths of their Value Line Publishing Group. We believe VU Games has the right distribution know-how and market presence in North America to ensure these titles achieve the best level of exposure needed to promote healthy sales."