Argonaut's E3 Lineup @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on May 12, 2003

News: Argonaut has plans for their biggest E3 showing ever.

Press Release:

12th May 2003, London, UK. Argonaut (AGT: LSE) will have their biggest presence to date at this year's E3. Europe's leading developer will be launching an exciting new title (details to be announced by the publisher at E3) on PS2 and GameCube; have two titles on the showfloor, one each with publishers Vivendi and EA/Lego in addition to their own booth (No. 2340, West Hall) where they will be showing two more titles and several wireless games. In total, Argonaut will have 5 games on 11 skus shown at this year's E3 expo, the single biggest presence by a European developer.

Joss Ellis, COO of Argonaut commented, "2003 is a big year for Argonaut and it really begins at E3. In the next 7 months we'll be releasing 4 titles across 9 skus Ц the highest output in any calendar year of Argonaut's 20-year history. Of course, it's not just quantity that counts Ц it's quality Ц and each of these titles is strong on gameplay, graphics and contains unique features. With titles like SWAT:GST, Carve and Bionicle Argonaut will demonstrate that we're capable of producing triple A, original and licensed games on time and on budget."

Argonaut's most recent release, Kung Fu Chaos (Xbox Ц Microsoft) brings the number of titles developed and released by Argonaut to an incredible 17, with 6 titles selling in excess of a million and 3 of those (StarFox N64; Croc Ц Legend of Gobbos PSOne and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone PSOne) each selling in excess of 3 million units worldwide. The formidable UK developer has now clocked up sales of over 15 million games.

Jez San, OBE, founder and Chief Executive of Argonaut added, "It's an exciting time for us and we're clearly in an enviable position, with plenty of cash and a strong portfolio of signed titles and prototypes under development. 2002 was our year of expansion and we're now beginning to reap the rewards of our investments, some of which will be on show at E3 for the first time. We've worked closely with our publishing partners and are looking forward to some positive feedback from E3, undoubtedly the single most important event in the games calendar."

The games on show are:

'Carve' is a fast-paced, jetski race game. Features include: 27 courses over 4 distinct and beautifully re-created locations; EMBM(Environment Mapped Bump Mapping) Ц allowing unrivalled water effects (achievable only on Xbox); single and Xbox Live multi-player modes; cheat mode, team based AI and an impressive catalogue of tricks for players to learn.

'Powerdrome' Ц the retro classic brought bang up to date for PS2, Xbox and Xbox Live. The futuristic racer is set to recapture the crown of a genre that has lost its way. With game design being driven by Michael Powell, the creator of the original Powerdrome, the prototype already demonstrates the competitive and addictive qualities required by race fans.