NBA Ballers to Release with In-Depth Sports Marketing CampaignPosted on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 @ 02:53:58 am E.S.T
Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, announced today that NBA Ballers, an all-new and unique one-on-one NBA lifestyle basketball videogame, scheduled to ship April 5, 2004 for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft will be backed by the company's most in-depth sports marketing campaign to date.
One of 2004's most anticipated sports games, NBA Ballers is being aggressively promoted via a multi-million dollar television, print and online advertising campaign geared towards the game's lifestyle features; a 30 minute special entitled "Making the Game: NBA Ballers" scheduled to begin airing on MTV on March 31; a series of dedicated events and a number of unique licensed content.
"NBA Ballers is one of Midway's key releases for 2004 and marks the company's re-establishment as a leader in the sports genre," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "Our intense marketing campaign includes a combination of advertising, an MTV special, licensing deals and public relations events that bring players to the fabulous backyard courts of the NBA's greatest stars."
The marketing for NBA Ballers includes:
- National TV Advertising: National television advertising campaign, scheduled to begin March 31 on multiple mainstream broadcast and cable networks including UPN, MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, ESPN, and NBATV among others.
- National Print Campaign: NBA Ballers print advertising set to appear across multiple major videogame and consumer publications including Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, GamePro, ESPN Magazine and Vibe.
- MTV's Making The Game Special: A 30 minute special entitled "Making The Game: NBA Ballers" is scheduled to begin airing on MTV starting March 31. The special is expected to feature a behind the scenes look at the game's development, musical influences and what it takes to live the NBA lifestyle.
- Online Campaign: Online advertising has already begun on IGN, GameSpot, GameSpy and NBA.com. A dedicated website, http://www.nbaballers.com features game assets and streaming audio from the game's soundtrack.
- Retail Point-of-Purchase: Promotional materials at all major retailers including: standees, posters, and in-store TV coupled with exclusive giveaways.
- Dedicated PR Events: Midway kicked-off the PR campaign for NBA Ballers with an exclusive mansion party in Beverly Hills last fall and the hype continued during February's NBA All-Star weekend.
- Underground Soundtrack: The explosive soundtrack found in NBA Ballers features 19 track created exclusively for NBA Ballers by a number of up and coming MCs along with in-game commentary by World Freestyle Champion rapper MC Supernatural and on-the-court beats by DMC Champion DJ Rocky Rock.
- Cover Athlete Stephon Marbury: NBA Ballers is represented by New York Knicks starting point guard Stephon Marbury. A player who exemplifies the NBA lifestyle.
- Licensed Content: NBA Ballers features a host of licensed content including cars from both Range Rover and Cadillac(R).
About NBA Ballers
Officially licensed by the NBA and NBA Legends, NBA Ballers is the only basketball videogame to deliver the pure essence of basketball by highlighting the excitement and intensity of the one-on-one confrontation, set within the alluring fantasy lifestyle of NBA superstars. Featuring 60 current NBA stars and 24 all-time NBA legends, NBA Ballers takes the game out of the arenas and into some of the most lavish NBA fantasy "cribs" for an up-close and personal one-on-one experience. NBA Ballers also features online play for the PlayStation 2. Gamers no longer have to debate who is the best NBA player of all time - now the greatest ballers can be matched-up in elaborate settings; holding it down at some of the finest private courts in the league.
About Midway Games
Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.
About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com) is the video game system from Microsoft that brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment experiences. Xbox delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games, powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live online service. The new tagline, "it's good to play together," captures the spirit of Xbox as the social hub of the new digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox is now available in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. (c) 2004 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. Midway has provided the IGN, GameSpot, GameSpy and NBA.com links solely as a convenience for you. The information on these sites has been prepared by third parties, and Midway does not monitor, endorse or accept responsibility for the content on non-Midway sites. MIDWAY is a trademark of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
"This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1. Business - Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and in the other more recent filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission." Posted By: Adam Paoli - 239 Reads
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