THEY'RE HERE! JOYRIDE STUDIOS™ RELEASES THE
FIRST-EVER HALO® COLLECTIBLE FIGURES
Bolingbrook, IL (September 4, 2003)-Based on the hugely
popular Xbox® sci-fi action-adventure game "Halo®"
developed by Bungie, the first wave of three collectible figures
by JoyRide Studios, a brand of RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC), is here and available
at retail now.
"These are some of the most highly anticipated collectible
figures ever," said Scott Corley, Managing Director of the
Figure Team for JoyRide Studios. "The initial demand exceeded
our product run, and only a limited number of figures will be produced
before we move on to the assortment that's coming out in November.
The bottom line is, this collection is going to go fast."
JoyRide Studios holds the exclusive license to produce these spectacularly
detailed figures and is the first to bring a third dimension to
characters from Halo, one of the top-selling video game titles ever
released. The collection includes the Master Chief, the Warthog
Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, and the AI construct, Cortana™.
Suggested retail prices are $14.99 to $17.99.
The 1:12 scale Master Chief has more than 18 points of articulation,
a reflective helmet visor, and an arsenal of three weapons. The
1:24 scale Warthog has working suspension, a rotating/pivoting
machine gun, and comes complete with three figures-a mini-Master
Chief and two marines. Finally, the translucent 1:12 scale Cortana
comes on a lighted base, creating a glowing hologram effect.
A special promotion of Halo figures is planned for the October 2003
issue of GamePro magazine. Additionally, select retail outlets are
offering the 3" Master Chief with assault rifle as a
special bonus for customers who pre-order the video game Halo for
Windows®, which will be released in September.
"Gamers have been waiting for these figures for months,"
Corley said. "We're looking forward to delivering high-quality
collectibles to fans of the Halo universe."
About RC2
RC2 (www.rc2corp.com) is a leading producer and marketer of high
quality collectibles, toys and hobby products targeted at adult
collectors, parents and children. The company's diverse product
offerings include: traditional children's toys; agricultural, construction
and outdoor sports vehicle replicas; automotive, high performance
and racing vehicle replicas; sports trading cards, racing apparel
and souvenirs; and collectible figures. These products are sold
under the Company's market-focused brand names, including Racing
Champions®, Ertl®, Ertl Collectibles®, Learning CurveSM,
American Muscle™, AMT®, W. Britain®, Press Pass®,
Eden®, Feltkids® and JoyRide Studios™. RC2 builds consumer
loyalty by fulfilling the passions of targeted consumers with its
branded products that encourage repeat purchases and are fun to
own and use. The Company's goal is to achieve leadership in targeted
markets worldwide by acting on significant consumer trends, continuously
applying innovation and developing consumer preferred brands and
products distributed through multiple channels. These channels include
chain retailers, specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers,
OEM dealers, corporate accounts for promotional purposes and direct
to consumers. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail
outlets located primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
About Bungie
Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that
combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories
and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve
the real goal of total world domination. Over the last 10 years
it produced games like the Marathon Trilogy and the first two Myth
games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world.
"Halo: Combat Evolved," its latest game, has achieved
phenomenal success on the Xbox video game system from Microsoft.
More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.Bungie.net/.
About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer
of games for the Windows PC gaming, Xbox video game system and online
platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game
Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios
for the PC (http://www.microsoft.com/games/),
including such franchises as Age of Empires®, Flight Simulator
and Zoo Tycoon™; the Xbox video game system(http://www.xbox.com/),
including such franchises as Halo, Project Gotham Racing® and
NFL Fever; and Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/),
the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to
such hits as Bejeweled and OutSmart™.
Microsoft, Age of Empires, Bungie, Cortana, Halo, MSN, OutSmart,
Project Gotham Racing, Windows, Xbox, and Zoo Tycoon are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in
the United States and/or other countries.
