Backyard Sports' Reignites Brand With New 'Sandlot Sluggers' Sliding Into Retail This May

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Batter up!  Atari, one of the world's most recognized videogame publishers, hits a home run with the all-new Backyard Sports™: Sandlot Sluggers videogame for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and a downloadable Windows PC version shipping out May 25, 2010.  Based on one of the best selling kids' sports videogame series, Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers allows players to join their favorite neighborhood friends and play ball in fun and exciting arcade style sports action.  Sandlot Sluggers, developed by HB Studios, is a completely new take on a longtime favorite franchise with all-new features, updated graphics, enhanced gameplay, and extensive options that will keep players and gamers alike enthusiastically entertained.  

"Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers is a big evolution for the number one kids sports videogame brand with a whole host of fun, new features while keeping true to the classic rules of the sport," says Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. "With fun comedic scenarios, cool and imaginative power-ups, mini-games, your favorite characters and the all new story-mode, the overall gameplay experience is sure to entertain kids and their friends over and over again."

Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers offers hours of entertainment with laugh out loud comedic commentary and exaggerated animations for a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. The game is packed with loads of surprises to keep kids coming back for more and stars a neighborhood full of fun and diverse kids – both fan favorite characters and new friends.  Additionally, Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers is feature-rich with multiplayer tournaments, mini games, eight different interactive fields, season mode, family mode, quick play and an all new story mode setting, never seen before in a kids sports game.  Super charged power-ups and stunning visuals making gameplay result in an irresistible game for kids.    

Allowing kids to follow traditional baseball rules, Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers is an intuitive game with kid-appropriate content that combines realism with fantasy while being wholesome and non-violent. Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers will be available for Xbox 360 ($29.99), Wii ($29.99), and Nintendo DS ($29.99).

For more information, please log onto www.atari.com.

ABOUT ATARI, SA

Atari group is a global creator, producer and publisher of interactive entertainment for interactive game platforms that include PC, online, consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony and advanced smart phones (i.e. iPhone).  Divisions of Atari, SA include Cryptic Studios, Eden Studios, Atari Interactive, Inc. and Atari, Inc.

Atari benefits from its global brand and an extensive catalogue of popular games based on classic owned game franchises (Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Lunar Lander), original owned franchises (Test Drive, Backyard Sports, Deer Hunter), MMO games from Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online, Champions Online) and third party franchises (Ghostbusters, Project Runway, Dungeons and Dragons).

For more information please visit www.atari.com  

© 2010 Atari Europe SASU. All rights reserved.

Atari word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc.

ABOUT HB STUDIOS

Headquartered in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, HB Studios Multimedia Limited specializes in sports video games for home console, handheld, and PC systems.  Established in 2000, HB Studios has shipped 23 titles with over 150 different SKU's including THQ's Big Beach Sports, EA Sports Rugby, EA Sports Cricket and Konami's Rock Revolution as well as versions of EA Sports' FIFA, NBA Live, NHL, FIFA Street, Tiger Woods PGA Tour and Madden NFL.  To date HB's global sales have reached over 11.7 million units.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.

SOURCE Atari