LONDON, May 3, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Empire Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Silverstar Holdings (Nasdaq:SSTR), today announced that it will bring the furious excitement of the classic Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe to the Xbox 360(tm) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft via Xbox LIVE(r) Arcade. The highly anticipated title was recently voted one of the most wanted games for Xbox LIVE Arcade in an article by the Computer and Video Games website. Its arrival will please both hard-core fans and new generations of gamers who have yet to experience what some believe is the finest combat sports game ever made.
The Bitmap Brothers classic, Speedball, was first released for the Amiga in 1990 and quickly became a huge success. However, it wasn't until the release of its sequel, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe that the title reached new gaming heights and sold over two million units. It is still considered by many to be one of the best games of all time. The Xbox LIVE Arcade version is a perfect conversion of Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe but with the addition of an all-new High Definition version, more teams and downloadable content.
This new Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Speedball II will enhance this classic game while still retaining all the classic elements that have made it a firm favorite among gamers.
"We are pleased to be bringing this all-time classic to Xbox LIVE Arcade," commented Ian Higgins, CEO of Empire Interactive. "With its brutal and addictive gameplay, and the ability to play multiplayer over Xbox LIVE, we are sure this will be the definitive version of Speedball."
"This is another example of Empire updating a classic IP and bringing it to a brand new audience. Double Dragon will launch next Wednesday, and will be our first foray onto Xbox LIVE Arcade. Our announcement of Speedball 2 demonstrates our continued intention to bring high quality classic titles to a broader market," said Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings.
Xbox LIVE Arcade is the central destination for Xbox 360 gamers to find, download, try, and buy smaller games on the Xbox 360 console. Xbox LIVE Arcade offers a large catalog of fun, broad-appeal games that can be downloaded via Xbox LIVE.
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About Empire Interactive:
Empire Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software that has been established for 18 years. Headquartered in the UK, Empire Interactive also has offices in the U.S., Germany, Italy, France and Spain. The company develops and publishes a varied range of titles for all current platforms in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Games such as Starsky & Hutch, Big Mutha Truckers, Ford Racing and FlatOut have all enjoyed success across the world. Its budget label, Xplosiv, is one of the fastest growing in Europe. Further information about Empire Interactive and its products can be found at www.empireinteractive.com
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About Silverstar Holdings:
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq:SSTR), focusing on acquiring controlling positions in high-growth retail-driven and fee-based electronic game businesses that stand to benefit from the economies of scale generated by the Internet and other technology-related platforms. It currently owns Empire Interactive as well as Strategy First, Inc., a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC.
About The Bitmap Brothers
Originally Founded in 1987, The Bitmap Brothers are considered by many to be the original 'rock stars' of computer game development: a small but highly successful development team with a history of creating unique, critically and commercially acclaimed IP across a number of popular platforms. www.bitmap-brothers.co.uk
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The Bitmap Brothers logo(tm) is a registered trademark of The Bitmap Brothers
Speedball(tm) is a registered trademark of The Bitmap Brothers
Speedball 2(tm) is a registered trademark of The Bitmap Brothers
The statements which are not historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks associated with the uncertainty of future financial results, additional financing requirements, development of new products, regulatory approval processes, the impact of competitive products or pricing, technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and other uncertainties detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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