The Spongebob Squarepants on THQ Inc. (Nasdaq:THQI) and Nickelodeon today announced "SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge" for Game Boy Advance and PlayStation. These underwater adventures are based on Nickelodeon's top-rated Saturday morning kids' program, "SpongeBob SquarePants."
SpongeBob SquarePants' has been a breakout hit since we first aired the show back in July of 1999," stated Steve Youngwood, vice president, Interactive Products and Publishing, Nickelodeon Consumer Products. "THQ's ability to transform our award-winning kids' programs into exciting gameplay experiences makes them the perfect interactive partner for development on every game system."
"SpongeBob SquarePants" follows the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurably optimistic and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends. Whether searching for the ultimate spatula to perfect his Krabby Patty-flipping technique at the Krusty Krab, or just hanging out with his best friend Patrick, an amiable starfish, SpongeBob's good intentions and overzealous nature usually create chaos in his underwater world.
In "SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge" for PlayStation and Game Boy Advance, players take the role of SpongeBob on a quest to secure the autographs of his heroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, for his friend Patrick Star. This is no simple task for SpongeBob as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy make him complete silly errands like retrieving beauty products from the bottom of the world and bringing them Kelp Kandy Bars in exchange for their signatures. SpongeBob even has to borrow a time machine to travel to Prehistoric Bikini Bottom for a Shell Bra outfit made of rare clams.
THQ's Nickleodeon Rugrats videogame franchise boasts sales of over 4,000,000 units in the U.S. alone, exceeding $125 million at retail since November 1998. For more information on THQ's 2001 line-up including the first "SpongeBob SquarePants" release, "SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula(TM)" for Game Boy Color, visit www.thq.com.
Now in its 22nd year, Nickelodeon has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the U.S. and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, magazines, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 77 million households, and has been the number No. 1 rated cable network for four consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
THQ Inc. develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software worldwide for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, and those manufactured by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. The THQ site is located at www.thq.com.
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing and difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses. In addition, such statements could be affected by growth rates and market conditions relating to the interactive software industry and general domestic and international economic conditions. Specific information concerning these and other such factors is contained in the Company's most recent report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on Nov. 13, 2000. A copy of this filing may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.