Press release: 1999-03-17: Acclaim and Microsoft Team Up for Sega Dreamcast-TM Development; Acclaim Selects Microsoft Windows-TM CE for Upcoming Sega Dreamcast Title

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 third-party Original source: The Free Library

 GLEN COVE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MARCH 17, 1999--Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKLM), a leading worldwide interactive entertainment company, today announced that it is working closely with Microsoft Corp. to use the Microsoft Window CE operating system for the development of an upcoming Sega Dreamcast(TM) title. The collaboration will take advantage of the powerful technological capabilities of the Windows CE development toolkit for the Sega Dreamcast.

"Windows CE has made it very easy for Acclaim to get title development underway for Sega Dreamcast," said Craig Galley, executive technical director at Acclaim. "Using the Windows CE Toolkit for Sega Dreamcast, we were able to bring one of our key game engines developed with Win32 and DirectX APIs over to the Sega Dreamcast platform and get title development underway within the space of a month."

Windows CE for Sega Dreamcast is a full-featured, full-service operating system whose specific optimizations for game development on Sega Dreamcast hardware make it a sound choice for serious, high-performance game development. The size and performance of Windows CE and DirectX API components have been optimized to meet the demands of game developers, while maintaining compatibility with the widely accepted Win32 API and DirectX programming model on Windows-based PCs. Incorporation of DirectX also allows the Sega Dreamcast system to capitalize on the momentum toward Windows-based PC gaming and the ever-increasing body of developers creating games for the Windows platform.

"Acclaim is known for their high-quality product and development expertise," said Ted Kummert, general manager, Windows CE home products group at Microsoft. "We are excited to be working with them on the development of Sega Dreamcast titles using Windows(TM) CE. We are certain the development advantages of the Windows(TM) CE environment will help to create a next-generation of games worthy of Acclaim's reputation."

Acclaim's reputation for developing high quality, technologically innovative games is long established. Best-selling titles such as Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, NFL Quarterback Club '99, Forsaken, and All-Star Baseball 2000 were critically acclaimed and combined won numerous awards including Best Animation and Best Graphics Technology. This technological expertise will continue to blossom as Acclaim expands its game portfolio to the Sega Dreamcast. Using Windows(TM) CE as the development kit for Sega Dreamcast was a natural extension for Acclaim as it seeks to stay at the forefront of technological innovation.

In the coming weeks, Acclaim will be formally announcing its 1999 Sega Dreamcast line-up.

Acclaim Entertainment Background Information

Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and mass marketer of software for use with interactive entertainment platforms including Nintendo, Sony and Sega hardware systems, and PCs. Acclaim owns and operates four studios located in the United States and the United Kingdom, and publishes and distributes its software directly in North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia. Acclaim also distributes entertainment software for other publishers worldwide, and publishes comic books and software strategy guides. Acclaim's company objectives are to produce high quality interactive entertainment software, build and maintain brands, and build shareholder value. Acclaim's headquarters are in Glen Cove, New York and Acclaim's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol AKLM. For more information please visit our website at www.acclaim.net.

Sega(R) of America is the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd. responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Enterprises, Ltd. is a nearly $3.0 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media, and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at (http://www.sega.com)
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