Atari announces 360-exclusive Race Pro

News by Mike Bowden Staff Writer (Former)

Published on July 11, 2008

Atari has issued a press release outlining "the ultra realistic racing video game Race Pro," due for release "fall 2008" exclusively for Xbox 360.

"Developed by renowned award-winning game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, Race Pro brings SimBin's formidable skill and know-how to Xbox 360," says the announcement.

"Race Pro offers a wealth of cars ranging from 200 to over 1000 horse power, as well as a host of championships including WTCC (World Touring Car Championship), Formula 3000 and Formula BMW."

Full thing below.

By Mike Bowden

Atari Revs its Engines With the Ultra Realistic Racing Experience 'RACE Pro'

Nothing Gets Closer to the Real Thrill of the Race Track on Xbox 360 this Fall 2008

NEW YORK, July 11: Atari (OTC Pink Sheets: ATAR) is revving it up with the announcement of the ultra realistic racing video game RACE Pro, scheduled to speed into stores this fall 2008 exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by renowned award-winning game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, RACE Pro brings SimBin's formidable skill and know-how to Xbox 360 for the very first time this fall.

RACE Pro recreates a breathtaking reality giving gamers the ultimate racing simulation experience, all powered by Lizard, SimBin's own physics engine. With precision physics and handling, racers will feel every bend and burst of acceleration along with every emotion from pre-race tension in the pit lanes to the exhilaration of capturing the checker flag. RACE Pro provides unrivalled realism and deep immersion into the racing world through ultra realistic car models and official FIA championships and tracks. Putting players in the driving seats of their simulated racing careers, racers will have the opportunity to work their way up the leader boards through intense training and winning key races. RACE Pro has something for everyone, allowing players of all levels to pick up and play, while offering challenging tracks and advanced modes for the more experienced players.

RACE Pro offers a wealth of cars ranging from 200 to over 1000 horse power, as well as a host of championships including WTCC (World Touring Car Championship), Formula 3000 and Formula BMW. GT cars from manufacturers including Aston Martin and Saleen take their place on the grid as well as production cars such as the Audi R8 and Dodge Viper SRT10. In addition, RACE Pro is exclusively bringing all the WTCC cars from manufacturers Alfa Romeo, BMW, Chevrolet and Seat to Xbox 360 for the very first time. For a blast of accessible fun, the Mini Cooper Challenge invites players of all abilities to take the wheel.

Gamers and racing fans alike will experience the thrill of racing these powerful cars on 13 real life tracks covering all continents, of which Macau, Porto and Pau are exclusive to RACE Pro, and US tracks Laguna Seca and Road America are brand new to SimBin fans.

"With five years worth of experience under SimBin's belt, RACE Pro ensures a unique racing experience unlike anything seen before on console," said Cyril Voiron, VP Brand Management, Worldwide Publishing, Atari. "Nothing gets you closer to the ultimate racing sensation than RACE Pro and Atari is proud to add this product to our holiday line-up."

"Having personally taken the leap from 20 years of championship racing to racing simulation development, I am really excited for SimBin to be taking its own leap from PC to Xbox 360," said Henrik Roos, CEO, SimBin Studios AB. "We are proud to be taking this significant move with Atari, our trusted partner since our very first game."

Online play via Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network for Xbox 360 and System Link support lets up to 12 players take on equally high-powered opponents and test their skills to the limit to reach the finish line ahead of the pack. For friends closer to home, the brand new 'Hot Seat' feature puts players in the driving seat for a limited amount of time before passing the controller to the next player and so on, demanding exceptionally quick reactions and precision racing from even the most seasoned drivers.

Nothing gets closer than RACE Pro, the ultra real racing simulation game exclusive to Xbox 360, scheduled for release this fall 2008.

About Atari, Inc.

One of the world's most recognized brands, New York-based Atari, Inc. is a third-party publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include genre-defining franchises such as Test Drive® and mass-market and children's franchises such as Dragon Ball Z®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR0010478248). For more information, visit www.atari.com.

About the SimBin Group

The SimBin group is a privately owned group of Swedish companies that occupies a total staff of 80 people, consisting of 50 employees and 30 distributed consultant's world wide. In the SimBin portfolio you will find award winning PC titles like "GTR - The FIA GT Racing Game", "GT Legends", "GTR 2 - The FIA GT Racing Game", "RACE - The WTCC Game" and "RACE 07 - The WTCC Game". GTR and RACE are registered trademarks owned by the SimBin group.

SimBin Studios AB is the mother company, responsible for the publishing and IP rights for all productions developed within the SimBin group. SimBin Studios AB is also responsible for Business Development, Finances, Marketing, PR and administration.

SimBin Development Team AB is a Swedish game developer founded in 2003 and is a subsidiary of SimBin Studios AB. SimBin Development Team AB handles all the game productions in the group and develops games for all leading platforms.

SimBin Distribution AB is a daughter company of SimBin Studios AB and has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. With RaceRoom, a franchise concept including marketing, branding, game software and hardware in a turn-key solution, SimBin Distribution offers a new business opportunity in the event and experience industry

For more information: http://www.simbin.com

Safe Harbor Statement

With the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain certain "forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this release are not promises or guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. We caution you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein. Some of the factors which could cause our results to differ materially include the following: the loss of key customers; delays in product development and related product release schedules; inability to secure capital; adapting to the rapidly changing industry technology, including new console technology; loss of our credit facilities; maintaining relationships with leading independent video game software developers; maintaining or acquiring licenses to intellectual property; fluctuations in the Company's quarterly net revenues and results of operations based on the seasonality of our industry; the termination or modification of our agreements with hardware manufacturers; and other factors described in our SEC filings. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations.

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CONTACT: Alissa Bell of Atari, Inc., +1-212-726-4217; Sujata Sinha, sujata_sinha@dkcnews.com, or Debra Duffy, debra_duffy@dkcnews.com, both of Dan Klores Communications