Dungeons & Dragons Online Hits Store Shelves
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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINEâ„¢: STORMREACHâ„¢ HITS STORE SHELVES THIS WEEK
Turbine's Highly Anticipated Online Roleplaying Game Launches in North America
WESTWOOD, Mass., February 28, 2006 Turbine, Inc. and Atari, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATAR) announced that DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: Stormreach™, the first massively multiplayer online ("MMO") roleplaying game inspired by the legendary pen and paper game, has launched in North America. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™ is a unique experience where players must use their combat skills and wits to survive dangerous dungeons, fiendish traps and foes that punish the foolish. This seamlessly combines the beautiful world of Eberron®, the classic D&D® v3.5 Edition rules, and the latest innovations in online technology into a breathtaking gaming experience like no other. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® is under license from the Hasbro Properties Group, the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS).
"DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE offers fresh and exciting gameplay that captures the true spirit of the D&D adventures that we grew up with," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "We are confident that DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE will appeal to MMO gamers and D&D fans alike."
"We are extremely pleased with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE," said Nique Fajors, senior vice president, marketing, Atari, Inc. "D&D is an iconic brand that has spawned a legion of imitators, but this game delivers the real thing to online gaming fans everywhere."
"Players around the world will appreciate Turbine's faithful adaptation of D&D's party-based adventures - a system that has made the pen and paper game a powerful brand for over 30 years," said Jeff Burdeen, vice president for the Hasbro Properties Group.
Developed by Turbine and published by Atari, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE: Stormreach is the first and only massively multiplayer online roleplaying game based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® brand franchise from Wizards of the Coast, Inc, a subsidiary of Hasbro. This highly anticipated game features:
Authentic D&D Characters
Create a custom character from D&D's newest campaign setting, Eberron, choosing from nine classes (barbarian, bard, cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer and wizard) and five races (human, elf, halfling, dwarf or warforged) plus hundreds of skills, feats and looks. The result is a countless number of possible combinations. Characters will need both wit and brawn to complete quests and advance over time.
Fast-Paced Combat
A unique Active Combat control system requires tactical thinking and quick reflexes as much as character abilities and skill. Characters will battle in real-time and have the ability to block with shields, dodge to the side and tumble away from enemy attacks. Unlike other online roleplaying games, the outcome of the battle is not solely determined by statistics player skill is an important factor in succeeding in combat.
Dangerous Dungeons
Players must face devious traps, intricate puzzles and fierce monsters in their quest for treasure and rewards. Private instanced adventures minimize the interference from party outsiders and reward players for the cooperative completion of quest objectives, eliminating the sense of repetitive combat found in other massively multiplayer online games.
Instant Adventure
When undertaking a quest in the bustling frontier city of Stormreach, players will be instantly transported into the quest environment to begin their adventure, reducing tedious travel and waiting.
Authentic Party-Based D&D Gameplay
Coordinate tactics with the game's integrated voice chat system to experience D&D the way it was meant to be played in a small party setting. Players will need to create balanced parties including a variety of character classes in order to complete their quests.
About Turbine
Turbine, Inc. is a premier developer, publisher and operator of online subscription entertainment and is headquartered in Westwood, Massachusetts. The company is the largest privately-held online games company in North America. Turbine's catalogue includes some of the most famous online entertainment brands, including Asheron's Call®, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: Stormreach™, and The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™. For more information on Turbine and its services, please visit www.turbine.com.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining franchises such as DRIVER™, The Matrix™ (Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo), Stuntman™ and Test Drive®; and mass-market and children's franchises such as Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues™ and Dora the Explorer™, and Dragon Ball Z®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext ISIN: FR-0000052573), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.
About The HASBRO PROPERTIES GROUP
The Hasbro Properties Group (HPG), the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro, Inc., (NYSE:HAS), translates one of the industry's richest portfolios of brands into a world of fun and excitement for children and adults globally. Through a host of publishing, digital media, lifestyle and entertainment platforms, HPG is able to surround fans worldwide with consumer products that expand Hasbro's core brands, such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, G.I. JOE, TONKA and PLAYSKOOL.
