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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 4.5 - AUGUST 1999

Internet & Interactive

A scene from Infogrames
Antz game.

Infogrames Releases Antz. Infogrames and DreamWorks will release `Antz' for Game Boy Color this fall in the US. Based on the animated film, the game will star the famous ant Z, an insecure little bug who has high hopes of finding Insectopia, a mystical world where food is plentiful and all insects live in peace. `Antz' allows kids to jump into the action. Ant-oriented hazards presented to the miniature heroes include acidic termites, out-of-control water droplets, gum-soled shoes and, the sun-filled, magnifying glass. Infogrames is a global publisher of interactive entertainment software that was founded in 1983.

Infogrames Releases Bugs Bunny Lost In Time. French company Infogrames Entertainment has released 'Bugs Bunny Lost in Time' for Sony PlayStation. In this video game Bugs encounters old nemeses, including Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Witch Hazel, Rocky and Mugsy, Merlin the Wizard, the Bull, and Daffy Duck in settings ranging from the Stone Age and Pirate eras all the way forward to Dimension X. Suggested retail price is US$39.95.

Renegade Animates Office Helper. Burbank, California-based Renegade Animation has animated a cute cat character as one of the office assistants for the newly released Microsoft Office 2000. The assistant is the intelligence center of the Office help system. Users can ask it questions in their own words and it provides help. The cat was rendered with cel animation, and Darrell Van Citters directed. FunArts Software, a company that creates and produces office assistants for Microsoft, commissioned the animation from Renegade.

Acclaim Announces Third Quarter Results. Glen Cove, New York-based Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. has announced results for its fiscal 1999 third quarter ended May 31, 1999. The Company reported third quarter net revenues of $80.0 million, an increase of 9% compared with $73.2 million in the third quarter of the prior year. During the quarter, Acclaim shipped All Star Baseball 2000 for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, Bust-A-Move '99 for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, Bust-A-Move 4 and WWF Attitude for Game Boy Color, and Machines and South Park for the PC. The company expects profits to continue. Key titles for the upcoming holidays and fiscal 2000 first quarter include a host of Acclaim Studio's new offerings and sequels to its most successful brands including: Turok Rage Wars, South Park: Chef's Luv Shack, South Park Rally, NBA Jam 2000, and Jeremy McGrath SuperCross 2000. Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. is a developer, publisher, and mass marketer of software for use with interactive entertainment platforms.

Activision Acquires Elsinore Multimedia. Activision, Inc. has acquired Elsinore Multimedia, a software development company that designed the Cabela's Big Game Hunter series for Activision's Head Games Publishing unit. As a result of the acquisition, which was completed on June 29, 1999, Elsinore has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision. Based in Hollywood, Florida, Elsinore Multimedia is a software development company that produces products for the Windows platform. In addition to the Cabela's Big Game Hunter titles, the company is also known for the Essential Language Software titles which have been highly successful in their categories since their release. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted revenues of $436 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999.

ITE Launches Webstore. Los Angeles and Denmark-based ITE (Interactive Television Entertainment) has launched a webstore at Throutandneck.com, a website for the series Throut And Neck which currently airs on the Game Show Network. While interactive television has been popular all over the world, Throut And Neck is the first real-time animated action series to be broadcast on American television. Throutandneck.com features interactive games that can be played online, colorful graphics, clips from Behind the Scenes of the series, screen savers, and more. A comical and zany interactive series that airs Monday-Friday, Throut And Neck allows home viewers to play using their telephone keypads to control the movement of each monster. Throut and Neck are two unruly beasts who find themselves thrust into SheepHaven, a mind-numbing world of annoyingly cute and adorable sheep. The game pits two players against each other as they try to use their beast (Throut or Neck) to defeat the sheep and return home first. The webstore will offer a variety of Throut and Neck merchandise including T-shirts, baseball caps, backpacks, and more. The show debuted on May 3, 1999. A companion site to Throutandneck.com, with more information about the television show, can be found at www.geocities.com/~mrgambit2.

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.