MULTI–MILLION DOLLAR MARKETING CAMPAIGN SUPPORTS THE FINAL GAME IN MIDWAY'S BEST–SELLING FIGHTING FRANCHISE FOR CURRENT GENERATION SYSTEMS
ALSO ON THE WAY:
MORTAL KOMBAT®: UNCHAINED™ FOR THE PSP™
ULTIMATE MORTAL KOMBAT®3 FOR XBOX LIVE™
CHICAGO – October 9, 2006 – Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, today announced that Mortal Kombat®: Armageddon™, the final chapter of the Mortal Kombat franchise for current generation gaming systems, has shipped for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Both the standard and Premium Edition packs are now available. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft is scheduled to be available Monday, October 16. In addition to Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Midway is also scheduled to release both Ultimate Mortal Kombat® 3 for Xbox Live™ and Mortal Kombat®: Unchained™ for the PSP™ (PlayStation Portable) in November of this year.
"Mortal Kombat: Armageddon marks a significant milestone in the franchise as it's the final Mortal Kombat title to be released on current generation systems," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon also contains gameplay features that series co–creator Ed Boon and team have always wanted to implement, such as create–a–fighter and create–a–fatality modes, and the option to choose from over 60 of the most popular Mortal Kombat fighters."
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon continues the tremendous success of the franchise which has generated over $1 billion in sales to date and is currently being backed by a multi–million dollar marketing campaign that includes the Mortal Kombat "Scream It" video contest hosted by GameSpot.com, a competition which allows fans to create unique and creative short films showcasing why they are the biggest franchise fan. Visit http://www.gamespot.com/contests/mkscream/index.html for more information and contest rules.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon's Multi–Million Dollar Marketing Campaign includes:
- National television advertising campaign on multiple mainstream broadcast and cable networks such as ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, MTV2, SCI–FI, USA, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, BET, Comedy Central, SpikeTV and more
- Sponsorship of Total Non–Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling Pay–Per–View event on SpikeTV
- Participation in consumer oriented events & tours such as:
- Game Live's 2006 College Tour (40 colleges nationwide)
- Vibe Game Club featuring Yardfest (40 colleges & 5 malls nationwide)
- GameSpot's "Afterhours" event on October 14, 2006
- Aggressive online campaign to top–tier enthusiast and mainstream consumer sites including Gamespot.com, IGN.com, Google.com, and WWE.com, among others
- National pre–sell programs at select game retailers, where gamers can pre–order Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and receive a special edition Mortal Kombat poster or an animated cell signed by Ed Boon (*while supplies last)
- Dedicated web presence at www.mkarmageddon.com; download the latest new game play movies and assets at the official website of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
For more information about Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, please visit www.midway.com.
About Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon –– the latest chapter in the award–winning video game fighting franchise. With the most complete roster ever, including every character from the Mortal Kombat fighting universe, revolutionary Create–A–Fighter and Create–A–Fatality modes, plus a new Konquest mode, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon promises to be the most complete, intensely lethal, fighting experience ever!
About Midway
Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.
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MORTAL KOMBAT: ARMAGEDDON, MORTAL KOMBAT: UNCHAINED and MORTAL KOMBAT are trademarks or registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. "PSP" is a trademark and "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "Xbox" and "XBOX 360" are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Midway has provided the GameSpot.com, IGN.com, Google.com and WWE.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.
This press release contains "forward–looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those described in the forward–looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the performance of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, the current console platform transition and other technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and in other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each forward–looking statement, including, without limitation, financial guidance, speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward–looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances, except as required by law.
For more information contact:
Tim DaRosa
Midway – Media Relations
773–961–2445
tdarosa@midwaygames.com
Geoffrey Mogilner
Midway – Investor Relations
773–961–2222
gmogilner@midwaygames.com
Alex Brewer
HighWater Group – PR
212–338–0077 ext.308
alex@highwatergroup.com
