Demo Receives Over Half a Million Downloads to Date
October 28, 2004
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Bandai Namco | LONDON, UK - 27 October 2004 - A free downloadable demo of RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3, the highly-anticipated next addition to the best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon® franchise, has received over half a million downloads worldwide in less than a month, Atari announced today. Released worldwide to much fanfare from the media and hundreds of RollerCoaster Tycoon fan sites anxiously awaiting the release of the game, the demo is available for download at www.rollercoastertycoon.com as well as dozens of partner sites. On target for a European in-store date of 5 November, Atari recently announced that development on RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is complete.
"The response to the RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 demo has been overwhelming positive on our site with fans saying the game looks like it may be exactly what they have been waiting for. The magic of the original is there, but this time around we see the park come alive - experiencing the rides first hand, customizing the smallest details, and getting up close to the visitors. The demo gives fans just enough to make them crave more," said Courtney Marchelletta, Head of About.com, a computer sim games site.
In addition to the demo program, the marketing campaign for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 also includes a pre-order program currently running at participating retailers, allowing consumers who reserve a copy of the game to receive a "Coaster Pack" containing three exclusive, professionally designed coasters.
John Wardley, a professional roller coaster designer most famous for Nemesis and Oblivion at Alton Towers in the U.K., designed the pre-order coasters and also served as a coaster design consultant on RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. These coasters are only available though the pre-order program and won't be included in the final version of the game.
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About Frontier Developments, Ltd.
Frontier and its founder, David Braben, have a long association with Chris Sawyer going back to 1987, when Chris first worked on PC versions of the famous "Elite" and "Virus" games. Frontier has for many years used its own cutting-edge 3D game engine on both PC and console titles. The company has a strong track record of creating both innovative 'own-IP' games and original high-quality titles that give a faithful treatment of existing brands. The company's most recent two console games gathered three prestigious BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominations between them ("Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo" on PlayStation®2, Xbox, GameCube and PC, based on Aardman Animations Ltd.'s multiple Oscar®-winning duo; and the novel, award-winning "Dog's Life" published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe on PlayStation®2). Frontier employs approximately 60 people, and has offices in Cambridge and Ely in the UK.
About Infogrames Entertainment and Atari:
Infogrames Entertainment (IESA), the parent company of the Atari Group, is listed on the Paris Euronext stock exchange (ISIN code: FR-0000052573) and has two principal subsidiaries: Atari Europe, a privately-held company, and Atari, Inc., a United States corporation listed on NASDAQ (ATAR).
The Atari Group is a major international producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software for all market segments and in all existing game formats (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) and on CD-ROM for PC. Its games are sold in more than 60 countries.
The Atari Group's extensive catalogue of popular games is based on original franchises (Driver, Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, Unreal Tournament, Test Drive, Roller Coaster Tycoon, etc.) and international licenses (Mission Impossible from Paramount, Men In Black, Superman, Matrix, Terminator and Dragon Ball Z).
For more information: http://www.atari.com
® 2004 Atari Europe SASU. All Rights Reserved.
RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 game ® 2004 Chris Sawyer. Programming ® 2004 Frontier Developments Ltd. All rights reserved.
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