Press Release: 1996-08-13: SEGASOFT TO PUBLISH FOUR ROCKET SCIENCE GAMES TITLES; ACQUIRES STARHILL BRAND

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: SegaSoft (archived)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (August 13, 1996) -- SegaSoft, Inc. and Rocket Science Games, Inc. today announced a partnership whereby SegaSoft will publish four critically-acclaimed Rocket Science Games computer game titles in the North American market and will acquire its StarHill brand. This partnership is the latest in a series of moves designed to make SegaSoft the leading provider of interactive entertainment software for all platforms for a broad consumer audience. Under the terms of the agreement, SegaSoft will publish and distribute three Rocket Science Games titles for the 1996 Holiday season: the much anticipated and highly regarded Obsidian, The Space Bar and Rocket Jockey. The fourth title will be announced at a later date. The agreement also gives SegaSoft the rights to market additional Rocket Science Games titles in 1997. Consistent with the partnership between the two companies, SegaSoft has extended employment offers to the 20-person marketing and sales team at Rocket Science Games. This partnership allows Rocket Science Games to focus exclusively on superior title development under the direction of noted industry veteran Bill Davis who leads a production team of more than 80 talented developers and designers. This team will focus entirely on building unique, sopphisticated and totally immersive content for Pcs, Internet and game consoles.

This is win-win deal for both companies, said Gary Griffiths, president and COO, SegaSoft. We are adding four great titles to our lineup that we know will have a significant impact in the marketplace for the crucial Holiday selling season. The Rocket Science Games titles are key to us as we move to become the premiere supplier of interactive entertainment. As part of the partnership, SegaSoft has also acquired the StarHill Productions brand, Rocket Science Games= value-priced label, which is known for its compilation series including Golf=s Greatest Collection and Racing=s Greatest Thrills. StarHill=s overall strategy included acquiring original product and content from outside developers. Joining forces with SegaSoft is a strategic move for both companies, said Steve Blank president and CEO, Rocket Science Games. With our coveted development team and financial strength we are well positioned as a dominant force in the creation of interactive entertainment, and a leader in the emerging internet gaming arena.

The Titles Rocket Jockey , called devlish fun by New York Daily News (May 26, 1996), is a gladiator-style combat game offering real-time 3D rendered, texture-mapped characters and arenas. Players pilot high-speed rockets that shoot cables (with grappling hooks) onto poles in order to make tight turns through the course and thwart their opponents. There are three forms of competition: Rocket Ball, Rocket Racing and Rocket War; each offer 10 levels of increasingly difficulat challenges. Rocket Jockey will appeal to gamers= desire to vent their pent-up hostilities, even humiliate friends, as they enter battle in the stadium. The contests will combine brutality, strategy and quick response in a unique gaming environment. Obsidian, one of five winners at industry tradeshow E3 according to the LA Times (May 20, 1996), is a graphic adventure that blends an intriguing story, challenging puzzles, and state-of-the-art graphics technology. In this nonlinear adventure, players travel through five dreamlike realms. More than 50 hours of gameplay unfold as players discover information and unlock clues by solving more than 25 original, integrated puzzles. The journey taken by the player progresses into a hallucinogenic, dreamlike state, which is beautifully illustrated. A soundtrack by Thomas Dolby further enhances gameplay. The Space Bar, coined a witty and suspenseful adventure by PC GAMER (September 1996), is a 3D-graphic adventure in which players assume the role of Alias Node, a detective who is conducting a murder investigation on the distant planet Armpit VI. This comic sci-fi murder mystery is set in a drinking establishment called the Thirsty Tentacle Bar, where you encounter 19 different species represented by more than 40 alien creatures. Developed in conjunction with Steve Maretsky and Boffo Games, Inc., The Space Bar melds 3D computer models and smooth-motion viewing of 360 degree-rendered images into a humorous science fiction adventure.

About Rocket Science Games Rocket Science Games, Inc. develops next-generation gaming and interactive entertainment software for PCs, the Internet and videogame consoles. For more information on Rocket Science please visit http://www.rocketsci.com.

About SegaSoft SegaSoft was founded in 1995 and develops interactive software and content for delivery on all platforms, including PCs, gaming consoles and the Internet. A joint venture of CSK Corporation and Sega of America, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the $4 billion Sega Enterprises Ltd., a global leader in interactive digital entertainment media, SegaSoft is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., where it employs 150.

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