BEVERLY, Mass. - November 12, 2002 - Infogrames, Inc. (NASDAQ: IFGM) is proud to announce today that its upcoming Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai(tm) video game, exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, will ship to retail December 4, 2002. The Dragon Ball® and Dragon Ball Z® franchises are global blockbusters that have generated over $3 billion in related merchandising sales worldwide and over 500 animated episodes. In addition, DBZ was the number-one rated show among all U.S. cable TV programs for tweens 9-14, boys 9-14 and men 12-24 during this season's launch line-up.
With the game available for the holidays, Dragon Ball Z® fans and fighting game aficionados alike will be able enjoy more of this popular franchise by entering the world of this highly-rated animated series on Cartoon Network and engage in high-intensity fighting battles, each one more epic than the one before. Featuring a totally authentic, high-energy Dragon Ball Z® fighting experience, the Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai(tm) game invites players to relive some of their favorite moments from the Dragon Ball Z® animated series by becoming their favorite Dragon Ball Z® character and conquering all challengers.
Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai(tm) spans from the Saiyan(tm) Saga through the Cell Games Saga and allows players to experience the fantastic DBZ universe. The game features five heart-pounding fighting modes, including Story Mode, where players reenact some of the most exciting fighting scenes from the animated series, and Tournament Mode, where players can face off to crown a single DBZ fighting champion. The game includes 23 of the most famous DBZ heroes and villains in full 3D, spans 29 levels, and features over 60 different combo moves per character, including some of their infamous attacks from the animated series.
"We are very excited to bring the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai game exclusively to the PlayStation 2," said Paul Rinde, senior vice president of Infogrames. "The anime series has achieved blockbuster status in North America with its array of fantastic characters and stories, and Infogrames has authentically captured that same magic in our PlayStation 2 game."
Gen Fukunaga, president of FUNimation productions said, "This title provides a truly authentic DBZ experience that every avid fan has been anticipating. From the original FUNimation voice actors to the accuracy of the characters, environments and storyline, this game truly brings Dragon Ball Z to life."
The Dragon Ball series, originally developed in Japan, has become the number one animated series in many countries including Japan, France, Spain, Hong Kong and Mexico. It is the top rated series on Cartoon Network's Toonami block and the "Most Searched for Term of 2001" according to the Lycos 50 Daily Report on the Internet.
For additional information on Dragon Ball Z, visit
www.dragonballz.com.
About FUNimation
Focusing on quality entertainment properties such as Dragon Ball Z®, FUNimation Productions, Ltd, is a full service brand management company with in-house production, licensing, Internet, home video distribution and toy divisions. With over 14 million videos sold and over 7 million hits per day on its web site, www.dragonballz.com, Dragon Ball Z® is the top rated series on Cartoon Network's Toonami block and the "Most Searched for Term of 2001" according to the Lycos 50 Daily Report on the internet. FUNimation also produces Dragon Ball®, the exciting prequel to Dragon Ball Z® airing in the USA on Cartoon Network's Toonami Block; Yu Yu Hakusho(tm), one of the top anime of all time, airing in the USA on Carton Network's Adult Swim Action; Lupin the 3rd(tm), one of the longest running anime classics; Fruits Basket(tm), based on the top selling manga in Japan; and Blue Gender(tm), a sci-fi anime series. Look for collectibles from IF Labs(tm) featuring the Dragon Ball® Movie Collection, Dragon Ball®, and Yu Yu
Hakusho(tm) as well as home video from FUNimation Productions, Ltd. and a host of other products licensed by FUNimation's Production's licensing division. IF Labs(tm) is a joint venture between FUNimation Productions, Ltd. and Irwin Toy, Ltd. For additional information on FUNimation and its properties, check out
www.funimation.com.
About Infogrames
New York-based Infogrames, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFGM) is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company develops video games for all consoles (Sony Computer Entertainment America, Nintendo and Microsoft), PCs, and Macintosh systems. Infogrames' catalogue of more than 1,000 titles includes award-winning franchises such as Civilization, Backyard Sports, Deer Hunter, Driver, RollerCoaster Tycoon, and Test Drive, and key licenses including Warner Bros. The Matrix, Warner Bros. Looney Tunes, Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer(tm), Dragon Ball Z, Unreal, Mission Impossible, Terminator, Harley-Davidson, Major League Baseball, and the National Football League, among many others. The Company's Humongous Entertainment and MacSoft labels are leaders in children's and Macintosh entertainment software, respectively.
Infogrames, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA) (Euronext 5257), a global publisher and distributor of video games for all platforms. In 2001, IESA acquired Infogrames Interactive, Inc. (formerly Hasbro Interactive), including rights to use its line of software based on well-known licenses such as MONOPOLY, Jeopardy, TONKA, and Atari, which are published and distributed in the U.S. by Infogrames, Inc. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at
www.infogrames.com.
