LADYDRAGON.COM - Empire Interactive signs game rights for Bad Boys™II

Thursday February 06, 2003

Empire Interactive signs game rights for Bad Boys^™II

Empire Interactive plc, a leading AIM listed computer games developer and publisher, announces that it has signed the global publishing rights to Sony Pictures’ summer blockbuster film, Bad Boys^™II, through a license from Sony Pictures Consumer Products.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back on the streets of Miami in Bad Boys^™II, reuniting them with producer Jerry Brukheimer and director Michael Bay for a Summer 2003 release.

The film has already received major promotion in the US through TV advertisingyears Superbowl – airtime which is the single most important advertising space in the calender. The multi-million dollar marketing support has already kicked off with an action packed teaser spot during this year’s Superbowl^® – which is one of the most important advertising events in the US.

Empire Interactive has signed the rights to the Bad Boys and Bad Boys II franchise to produce multiple titles across all leading console and PC platforms including successor console platforms. The first game title for PlayStation^® 2, Microsoft^® Xbox^™, Nintendo^® GameCube^™ and PC is being developed to coincide with this Christmas’ DVD launch.

Ian Higgins, CEO of Empire Interactive said about the signing: "It is very exciting for the Group to have signed such a significant property. The movie is one of the biggest to come out of Hollywood this year and crosses over perfectly with our core gamer demographic. Empire is looking forward to making this a hit franchise for a number of years to come."

"Bad Boys^™II has a high octane story-line which really hits its target demographic of young men on all cylinders," stated Mark Caplan, Executive Director Licensing, Sony Pictures Consumer Products. "Early indications are that Empire is well on its way to developing a video game that hits the same core demographic and has as much attitude and intensity as the film."