BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 23, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Empire Interactive, an international publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software and a subsidiary of Silverstar Holdings (Nasdaq:SSTR), shipped the highly anticipated Animal Paradise Nintendo DS(tm) to North American retailers today. Animal Paradise is the first of four announced titles to be distributed exclusively by Atari in North America.
"This shipment marks a major milestone for Empire as a new partner with legendary game producer, Atari," said Karim Farghaly, vice president of sales at Empire Interactive. "Like Empire, Atari recognizes that younger DS players appreciate pet simulation games that offer a variety of animals and engaging gameplay, and that are easy to pick-up and play. We expect this title to be well received in North America, particularly after its success in Europe and as we enter the upcoming holiday shopping season."
Animal Paradise takes players to a virtual farm where they can try their hand at caring for and raising 18 different animals including dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, pigs, and more. Pets will need to be fed, cleaned, walked, and played with in order to be kept fit, healthy, and happy. As they progress through the game, players will unlock new animals to care for and fun-filled mini-games like Treasure Hunting, Footprint Trail, and Shampoo Scrub. Getting to know the animals, learning what kind of care each one prefers, and building a bond with them will be rewarded by unlocking exclusive pet photos based on the "Hanadeka" or "big-nose" style of animal photography, by famed Japanese photographer Yoneo Morita, for their virtual photo album.
Animal Paradise is rated "E" for "Everyone" with an MSRP of $19.99.
About Atari, Inc.
One of the world's most recognized brands, New York-based Atari, Inc. is a third-party publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining franchises such as Test Drive(r) and mass-market and children's franchises such as Dragon Ball Z(r). 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 Agatsuma Entertainment
Agatsuma Entertainment is an interactive TV/hand-held game publishing company, and also an agent company; coordinating deals between publishers and developers worldwide. Agatsuma Entertainment has been founded by a group of highly experienced game/toy industry veterans and based in Tokyo, Japan. For more information, contact info@agatsuma-toys.com.
About Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software that has been in business 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 game labels in Europe. Further information about Empire Interactive and its products can be found at www.us.empireinteractive.com.
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About Silverstar Holdings
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSTR) is a leading international publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software. It currently owns Empire Interactive, PLC and Strategy First, Inc., a leading development and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC. For more information about Silverstar Holdings go to www.silverstarholdings.com.