REDMOND, Wash., May 7, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Msnbc.com liberates movie audiences from the out-of-date trivia, static billboards and the impatience of waiting for the summer blockbusters to begin with NewsBreaker Live, the first in-theater, audience participatory video game. Modeled after classic video games, NewsBreaker Live combines live msnbc.com RSS newsfeeds, the movement of the audience as a human joystick, and the big screen as a game board to bust audiences out of their pre-movie doldrums with an interactive game that delivers real-time news headlines to kick start the moviegoing experience.
NewsBreaker Live will have moviegoers of all ages swaying, swinging and rocking in their seats by utilizing groundbreaking motion-sensor technology dubbed "CrowdGaming," which tracks the entire audience's collective movement to control the game. Working together as a human joystick, the audience will move in sync to smash up msnbc.com's colorful brick spectrum of news with a bouncing ball and paddle. As each brick breaks, real-time headlines from msnbc.com fall. The audience then accumulates points and knowledge by using the paddle to capture the headlines before they drop off the screen while simultaneously maneuvering the paddle to keep the bouncing ball moving to break new bricks.
"This summer, instead of waiting impatiently for movies to start, msnbc.com's NewsBreaker Live lets moviegoers in on the action," said Catherine Captain, vice president of marketing, msnbc.com. "We developed the game for the msnbc.com consumer who we know enjoys the experience of finding news. It's designed to bring to life the msnbc.com experience they value, the compelling, original and quirky stories told in a colorful and entertaining manner, as well as give them the opportunity to discover and engage with the brand beyond the computer screen."
Exclusively at National Amusement's The Bridge: Cinema de Lux, NewsBreaker Live will debut in Los Angeles during the opening weekend of Spider-Man 3 and be featured as the opening act for the summer's most anticipated blockbusters including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Transformers in Philadelphia and White Plains, NY throughout May, June and July.
In addition to NewsBreaker Live, msnbc.com introduced the NewsStream screensaver and NewsBreaker online game, two entertaining and innovative ways for news explorers to keep up-to-date on the current news that fuels intellectual debate, watercooler conversations and cocktail party chit chat. Powered by msnbc.com's RSS newsfeeds, both online tools offer news across the spectrum, ranging from business and entertainment to health and travel, bound to appeal to everyone's interests.
Whether you're a sports fanatic, entertainment aficionado, political enthusiast or news generalist, the NewsStream screensaver provides the latest headlines on the topics that interest you. News explorers can customize their screensavers to deliver news tailored to their interest by selecting to receive any combination of msnbc.com's 14 category feeds at a time. As headlines pop out from a full spectrum of stories on the monitor, consumers can click on them and link to the full story on msnbc.com.
In NewsBreaker, the online version of NewsBreaker Live, players climb through ten game levels in total with each progressive level featuring a more challenging round of play. As they advance levels, the headlines will fall faster and players will have to move more quickly to gather them all. Scores are posted to a global leader board enabling gamers to compare their results against one another.
To arm themselves with the latest news, entertainment and information, news explorers can download the NewsStream screensaver at www.newsstream.msnbc.com and the NewsBreaker game at www.newsbreakergame.com.
The msnbc.com NewsBreaker Live game was conceived with New York-based strategic communications firm SS+K and brought to life with interactive design company the Brand Experience Lab. The revolutionary technology was developed in conjunction with Etcetera Edutainment, a sub-set of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center. The NewsBreaker Live in-cinema game, the NewsBreaker online game and the NewsStream downloadable screensaver are all part of msnbc.com's new branding campaign - A Fuller Spectrum of News - that exemplifies the colorful journey and multiple perspectives of news, entertainment and information consumers experience on its site. Msnbc.com launched the campaign in early April on TV, in print, and online.
About msnbc.com
Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually-engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Based in Redmond, WA, msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and NBC Universal (NYSE:GE).
About SS+K:
SS+K is a creatively-driven, strategic communications firm that develops integrated communications programs including advertising, public relations, marketing, design, identity, digital media, corporate communications and entertainment marketing. Founded in 1993, SS+K employs more than 100 people in New York City, Boston and Los Angeles. Clients include: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Lance Armstrong Foundation, msnbc.com, Revver and Time Warner Cable.
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) owns a minority share of SS+K. CAA is the country's leading talent and literary agency with offices in Beverly Hills, Nashville, New York City, Kansas City, St. Louis and Beijing.
About the Brand Experience Lab
Called "a playroom for marketers and agencies" by Advertising Age, the Brand Experience Lab is an experience design company that helps clients deliver on their brand promise by creating compelling, authentic and relevant brand experiences specializing in strategic platforms and new technologies that better deliver these experiences across multiple brand touch-points. Clients have included Unilever, GSK, Nike and Pepsi.
About Etcetera Edutainment
A spin-off of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), Etcetera Edutainment specializes in the design and development of computer-based, highly interactive content for education. Working with the leading entities in entertainment and education, projects at Etcetera and the ETC have included designing museum exhibits, theme park rides, virtual worlds, and immersive experiences.
About National Amusements, Inc.
National Amusements, Inc. is a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry operating more than 1,500 screens in the U.S., U.K., Latin America and Russia. National Amusements delivers a superior entertainment experience in theatres around the world under its Showcase, Multiplex, Cinema de Lux, and KinoStar brands. Based in Dedham, Massachusetts, National Amusements is a closely held company operating under the third generation of leadership by the Redstone family. National Amusements is also an equal partner in the online ticketing service, MovieTickets.com, and is the parent company of both Viacom and CBS Corporation.