CAMBRIDGE– 17th September, 2008 – D3Publisher, a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, will bring Cartoon Network’s next generation series BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE to videogame systems across Australia with BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game on the Wii™ home videogame system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™ system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.
The successful inaugural game for the brand, Ben 10™: Protector of Earth, launched in November 2007 and has sold more than one million units worldwide. Based on the next generation television series launching on Cartoon Network in October, BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game begins five years after Ben put away the DNA-scrambling Omnitrix, but now Grandpa Max has gone missing and the planet Earth is in grave danger. Gamers must help Ben take the Omnitrix out of retirement and lead eight different playable characters—including cousin Gwen, enemy-turned-ally Kevin E. Levin and five of Ben’s brand new alien forms—to utilize their all-new super powers and defeat the intergalactic invaders! BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game is slated to ship to retail outlets across Australia this Spring 2008.
”BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE is the only console video game where players can take control of the ALIEN FORCE TEAM and experience their brand-new superpowers,” said Adam Roberts, Managing Director of D3P Europe. “With a great new series of Ben 10 ready to launch and the impressive million-plus unit sales of Ben 10 Protector of Earth, we’re confident that our latest collaboration with Cartoon Network on Ben 10: Alien Force The Game will prove even more successful.”
“We are excited to be able to have our viewers experience our famous Cartoon Network characters in a new way and the Channel is always on the look out for new opportunities to give our fans as many alternatives as possible to engage with our characters,” said Dulce Lim-Chen, Vice-president, Cartoon Network Enterprises, Asia Pacific.. “The release of BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game …will build upon the success of the first videogame by expanding fans’ experience with the brand and giving them a new battle to win with Ben Tennyson.”
In BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game, players embark on an adventure to find Grandpa Max and stop a diabolical Highbreed alien plot as they battle more than 20 types of enemies, including Highbreed invaders and DNAliens. Gamers take control of Ben and his new alien forms Swampfire, Jet Ray, Humungousaur, Spidermonkey and Big Chill to employ distinctly different and complex powers to manipulate fire, swim underwater, grow more than 60 feet tall, stick to walls, fly at mach speed, plus lots more! Gamers will also harness cousin Gwen’s new talent to create an energy shield and use it to protect and attack, as well as Kevin E. Levin’s ability to absorb materials like concrete, wood and metal to create an impenetrable shell on his body. BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game is a fast-paced, 3D side-scrolling action adventure that offers eight playable characters, an unlimited combo system and puzzles and challenges that will engage players of all levels for hours at a time. The Nintendo DS version will offer alternate playable alien forms including Goop and Echo Echo, giving players additional unique powers to command and explore.
BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game for Nintendo DS is under development by 1st Playable Productions, LLC. All other versions are under development by Monkey Bar Games™.
About D3Publisher
D3Publisher, a subsidiary of D3, Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment publisher and distributor for licensed and original titles for personal computers, major console platforms and handheld systems. D3Publisher has operations in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. The company also owns development studio Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., and its technology platform, Vicious Engine. Recent releases have included Dark Sector®, Dead Head Fred®, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords®, and Ben 10™: Protector of Earth. For more information about D3Publisher, please visit: www.d3publisher.com.
About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (www.cartoonnetwork.com.au) is one of the most popular entertainment channels among kids and is currently seen in over 2 million homes in Australia. The Network is distributed on Austar, Foxtel and Optus. Launched in Australia in 1995, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s (TBS) Cartoon Network offers the best in animated entertainment. Drawing from the world’s largest cartoon library of Warner Bros., MGM and Hanna-Barbera titles, the Network also showcases original series including BEN 10, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Cartoon Network is the number one channel for kids in Asia Pacific and is currently seen in over 56 million cable homes in the region. Online, Cartoon Network reaches almost 2 million unique visitors a month in Asia Pacific.
TBS Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
About BEN 10
BEN 10 (www.ben10.net) is Cartoon Network’s widely successful animated action-adventure series featuring Ben Tennyson, a 10-year-old boy with the ability to morph into different aliens using a strange alien device called the Omnitrix. A global phenomenon, BEN 10 is now being aired in more than 160 countries around the world. In Asia Pacific, the show is seen in 118 million households in 23 countries.
BEN 10 landed in Australia in April of 2007 to become an instant hit, achieving Cartoon Network’s highest rating for 2007. The premiere of the special, made-for-TV movie BEN 10: Secret of the Omnitrix in August 2007 was Cartoon Network’s most-watched show on record and, today, the BEN 10 series is Cartoon Network’s highest-rated show for kids for 2008. Along with the new animated series, BEN 10 has also spawned a tremendously successful toy and DVD lines. The BEN 10 collectible figure has been the no.1 toy in the market in May 2008 and the latest DVD release, BEN 10 Season 3, holds the no. 1 children’s DVD spot upon launch (GfK: May 2008). The first live-action made-for-TV CGI movie, BEN 10: Race Against Time, premiered in Australia on September 20, 2008.