SYDNEY, Australia, August 14, 2013 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has entered into an agreement with Mattel, Inc. for the global distribution, sales and trade marketing of the upcoming video game, Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver launching on October 30 in Australia for the Xbox 360^® games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, Wii U™ system, Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system and PC.

In Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver, players join the ranks of Team Hot Wheels™ and compete in dozens of unique, fast-paced, replayable challenges highlighting the driving styles of the different teams – the record-breaking speed of the Green Team, the show-stopping stunts of the Red Team, the super-tight precision with the best technology of the Blue Team or record-breaking jumps of the Yellow Team. Featuring 24 outrageous and iconic Hot Wheels vehicles and set in four under-the-radar test facilities around the world, the game pushes players to their limits to see if they have what it takes to become Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver.

Team Hot Wheels are the most fearless and skilful drivers in the world. Hand-picked for their incredible automotive abilities, Team Hot Wheels are recruited to test the most advanced vehicles and attempt the most challenging stunts at a mysterious location known as the Hot Wheels Test Facility.

“Mattel has created some of the biggest and most beloved toy brands in the world, and we are thrilled to work with them on Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver,” said Kevin Kebodeaux, Senior Vice President, Sales and Operations, Americas, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Utilising our extensive worldwide distribution capabilities, we are looking forward to launching this Hot Wheels game, as it complements our approach to offer consumers a wide range of quality games.”

“Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is a market leader in video game publishing and a highly capable partner,” said Simon Waldron, Vice President Marketing, Hot Wheels Mattel.  “Working together, we look forward to bringing Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver to gamers worldwide.”  

Mattel is also bringing the Hot Wheels brand to life with a real-life crew of stunt drivers taking stunt-driving to the next level with never-before-seen, gravity-defying stunts in life-size Hot Wheels cars. Team Hot Wheels has already set three world records in 18 months.  Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver extends the Team Hot Wheels experience to fans of all ages through engaging storylines that put them in the driver seat of their favourite vehicles. This year Mattel continues to bring Hot Wheels to life with exciting new content including a 22-minute World’s Best Driver movie now viewable on the Hot Wheels YouTube channel and HotWheels.com.   

Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver is being developed by Firebrand Games, a seasoned developer that has worked on some of the industry’s biggest racing and driving franchises.

Woo-Oo! Scrooge McDuck and Friends Arrive for Digital Duck-Blur Download This Week 

Sydney, Australia —August 14th, 2013 — Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today confirmed that DuckTales: Remastered will release across Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe as a digital download for PC, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Wii U™ and Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft® starting from today. DuckTales: Remastered is priced at AU$22.95.

Originally released in 1989 on the Nintendo Entertainment System™, DuckTales was widely acknowledged as one of the generation’s seminal platform titles. DuckTales: Remastered once again follows the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews – Huey, Dewey and Louie, as they explore different themed worlds on their search for five legendary treasures.

DuckTales: Remastered has seen the development team at Way Forward take the levels and layout from the original release as a foundation before expanding upon them to significantly enhance the gameplay experience; but where this update truly impresses is its graphics and sound. All of the visuals from the 8-bit game have been beautifully re-created as hand-drawn and animated sprites, across a backdrop of luscious, re-envisioned level backgrounds. Furthermore, original Disney Character Voices talent, including some from the cartoon TV series, bring in-game characters to life with charm and wit, while the classic melodies of the original soundtrack are given a modern twist.

Further additions to the original include an all new tutorial level where players can get familiar with the iconic pogo jump and cane swing and Scrooge McDuck’s very own Money Bin stage where Scrooge can dive into his dimes collected from each level directly off the springboard.

ANNO Online launches a celebratory in-game event starting today  

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – August 14, 2013 – Ubisoft® is proud to announce the 15^th anniversary of ANNO®, the famous brand developed by the talented team at Blue Byte. The very first ANNO® game was released in 1998, and since then, five main games and multiple adaptations have been released, including the highly successful browser game ANNO® Online. The ANNO series has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide so far. The latest instalment, ANNO® 2070, has also surpassed 1 million in sales, two-thirds of which have come from non-German-speaking territories.

To celebrate this “ANNOversary” and to the delight of players, a new event will take place in Anno Online, as detailed below:

People from the kingdom are travelling to settle some new islands and their flotilla needs to stop by the player’s island for provisions. Players will help them repair their ships by completing new quests. Additionally, the King’s cartographer, who has been travelling for some time, has discovered a mysterious island covered with ruins from an unknown civilisation. He will ask players to help him solve numerous mysteries and discover wondrous treasures available in this new land. Series veterans will also be pleased to see that Blue Byte has implemented objects from all previous ANNO games in the event, so players should keep an eye out for them! To unlock sectors on this island, the player will need to finish a series of quests given by the cartographer:

• Buff the Adventurer’s building (quest)
• Find the missing persons (quest)
• Help with costs (quest)
• Explore important ruins via exploration spot mechanics: Players will have to explore spots on the map by investing time and resources, but they will be rewarded with unique rewards.

To commemorate the brand’s anniversary, 2 exclusive in-game currencies will be utilised named ANNO Planks and Doubloons. Each of them has a specific purpose:

ANNO Planks:

Players can obtain this new currency by completing in-game quests and when participating in community activities such as fan fiction and fan art competitions. Depending on the amount of ANNO Planks players come to possess, several achievements will be unlocked and with each stage a reward will be provided.

Additionally, the top players will be rewarded with an exclusive “Hero of the Event” reward.

Doubloons:

Players can obtain this new currency when completing in-game quests. It will enable players to get 3 new buildings, 2 buffs and 1 premium ship:

• Enhanced marketplace (max 2 per player): offering a larger influence area than the media marketplace
• Old Tree (max 1 per player): this building is an artefact from the Original Anno 1404. In it, players can create and collect various items every day.
• Scout’s hideout (max 1 per player): this building will reduce the time needed to explore new sectors.
• Oriental Ship (max 2 per player): capable to carry only oriental goods but in enormous amounts per trip.

All players who have participated/logged in during the event will automatically be rewarded at the end of the event, and will receive an exclusive 15th anniversary statue.

Join the fun and start playing ANNO® Online for free now at www.anno-online.com.

Groundbreaking single-player campaign slated to transcend three decades of high profile matches and memorable moments in WWE history

Sydney, Australia – August 13, 2013 – 2K today announced that WWE® 2K14, the forthcoming release in the WWE® flagship video game franchise, will include the 30 Years of WrestleMania® Mode, an unprecedented single-player campaign featuring iconic WrestleMania matches and an unparalleled roster spanning three decades of WWE history. Commencing with the inaugural WrestleMania, the nostalgic journey takes players through more than 45 matches, including the legendary match between Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 3; WWE 2K14 cover Superstar Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan in an “Icon vs. Icon” match at WrestleMania 18; and the much-anticipated WrestleMania 28 main event featuring The Rock vs. John Cena®. The 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode is inspired by the forthcoming WWE milestone – WrestleMania 30, scheduled for Sunday, April 6, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

“For nearly three decades, WWE has inspired millions worldwide through the historic, cultural and undeniable phenomenon that is WrestleMania,” said Chris Snyder, Senior Director of Marketing at 2K. “Through the 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode in WWE 2K14, players can now relive their favorite nostalgic and recent WrestleMania moments – from an incredible roster to authentic presentation and match play – in a unique and engaging way.”

WWE 2K14’s 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode will organize matches into a progressive single-player campaign, with the format curated by five distinct eras in WWE history. Unique presentation elements transport players through the different eras, including authentically recreated arenas, WWE Superstar entrances and ring attires, as well as era-specific graphics, screen filters and other presentation elements. In addition, extensive WWE-produced video packages and in-game, cinematic cut scenes set the stage and provide detailed background information on key matches. Historical objectives encourage players to authentically replicate popular match moments, while completing objectives will unlock a host of rewards, including additional playable WWE Superstars, alternate attire options, new arenas and WWE archive photography.

In celebration of today’s 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode announcement, 2K also disclosed the Company and Twitch.TV will present the WWE 2K14 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode Roster Reveal – live on www.twitch.tv/2K from WWE SummerSlam Axxess on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. PDT (Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 5.30am AEST). The reveal will be hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler and WWE Superstar Damien Sandow.

Become Immortal – 2K’s lineup of premier sports simulation titles expands with the Company’s upcoming release in the renowned WWE video game franchise, WWE 2K14. Developed by Yukes for the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 system, WWE 2K14 is positioned to deliver the greatest roster in franchise history and be the most electrifying, authentic and comprehensive WWE video game experience to date. WWE 2K14 is rated “M” for Mature by the Australian Classification Board. WWE 2K14 is not yet rated in New Zealand. Fans who pre-order WWE 2K14 will receive Ultimate Warrior at no extra cost on launch day on October 29, 2013 in North America and October 31, 2013 in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on WWE 2K14 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, facebook.com/WWEgames and @WWEgames on Twitter.

2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).