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ORIGIN Systems Announces Wing Commander
IV Lift Off; PC CD-ROM Interactive Movie to Make History at Planet
Hollywood Event
Business Editors, Entertainment & Computer Writers
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 1996--ORIGIN Systems,
an Electronic Arts company and a developer of world famous
entertainment software, today announced that it will ship Wing
Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, the latest version of its
award-winning, space-combat interactive movie series, for PC CD-ROM
on Feb. 9, 1996.
The new title, which breaks new barriers in the blending of
Hollywood filmmaking and computer entertainment, will be unveiled on
Feb. 8, 1996 at Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California.
At the Planet Hollywood press event, Wing Commander IV stars
Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell will make special costume
presentations to representatives of the restaurant, denoting a
historic first for the computer gaming industry. It will mark the
first time the restaurant has accepted memorabilia from a CD-ROM
computer game. The costumes will be on permanent display at one of
the many Planet Hollywood locations around the world. Other Wing
Commander IV cast members will also attend the event including John
Rhys-Davies and Tom Wilson.
Wing Commander IV was shot on 35 mm film at Ren-Mar Studios in
Hollywood and includes several moving cameras and more than 35
elaborate sets, delivering four hours of live-action video with a
"feature film" feel to the cinematics. The graphics explode in
super VGA color and are further enhanced with photo-realistic
texturing. Player interactivity is expanded both in and out of the
cockpit allowing game players to have even greater control of
missions and drama. A fully-digitized interactive movie score is
included along with Dolby Surround Sound.
Wing Commander IV follows on the heels of the highly successful
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, which sold more than 600,000
copies worldwide and was named "Action Game of the Year" and "Game
of the Year" in 1995 by several computer game publications.
All of the highly-talented Wing Commander III cast members
returned to film Wing Commander IV, including Hamill (Star Wars),
McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations), Wilson (Back
to the Future I, II and III), Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones movies) and
Jason Bernard (While You Were Sleeping, Herman's Head.) Wing
Commander III Hollywood scriptwriters Terry Borst and Frank DePalma
also returned to write Wing Commander IV. Eric Goldstein served as
director of photography, and Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts was
the executive producer of the new title and directed the live-action
portions of the game.
The Wing Commander IV Storyline
The Wing Commander IV storyline picks up where Wing Commander
III left off -- the bloody battle between the Kilrathi and Terrans
has concluded and Colonel Christopher Blair (Hamill) has been on a
well-deserved sabbatical. It's not long, however, before civil war
breaks out on the home front and the Terran government is forced to
recall Colonel Blair to his post to face the next enemy. It won't
be easy for the Colonel. Signs of decay will be impossible to
ignore and the Confederation is beginning to splinter under the new
enemy pressures. You, the Colonel, will have to determine how to
save it -- or if it should be saved at all.
Wing Commander IV is shipping worldwide in three languages:
English, French and German. Spanish and Japanese versions will
follow. The title is supported by a $1 million plus marketing and
promotions campaign that includes print, radio, television and
cinema advertising. An exclusive promotional campaign with General
Cinema theaters is a first for the computer entertainment industry.
Wing Commander IV promo trailers will be shown in approximately
580 General Cinema movie houses. In 10 of those theaters, Wing
Commander IV games will be available for sale in the lobbies. The
expected retail price for Wing Commander IV is $50-60.
Also shipping with Wing Commander IV is ORIGIN's Official Guide
to Wing Commander IV, a 224-page hint book, with 48 pages of full
color shots from the game, ship specs and game strategy tips. The
book is sold separately at a suggested retail price of $19.95.
ORIGIN Systems develops and publishes state-of-the-art
entertainment software. To date, the company has released more than
50 titles, including the award-winning Ultima and Commander series
of games. ORIGIN is based in Austin, Texas, and is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., is
a leading interactive entertainment software company. EA was
founded in 1982 and has an annual sales rate of over $490 million.
The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide
for advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation, as well
as IBM-compatible PCs, Macintosh computers, and major dedicated
video game systems.
Electronic Arts markets its products worldwide under four brand
names: EA SPORTS, Electronic Arts Studios, Bullfrog Productions, Ltd.
and ORIGIN Systems, Inc. EA has subsidiaries in Australia, Canada,
France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom,
and Austin, Texas. More information about EA's products and full
text of press releases can be found on the Internet at
http://www.ea.com.
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Note to Editors: ORIGIN, We create worlds, Wing Commander and
Ultima are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. The Price
of Freedom and Heart of the Tiger are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems,
Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts,
Inc. All other products, symbols and trademarks are property of
their
respective owners.
CONTACT: ORIGIN Systems Media Relations
David Swofford or Teresa Potts, 512/434-4263
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