LOS ANGELES (January 17, 2012) — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, in a strategic partnership with Mastiff LLC, announced THE GREAT OUTDOORS™, a uniquely new, online outdoor lifestyle game for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts. The title is being developed by Mastiff and Icarus Studios, Inc. and will be available in 2012 for Windows® PC.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Mastiff, a leader in creating and marketing outdoor themed video games," said Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing, Square Enix, Inc. "In keeping with Square Enix’s long tradition of introducing exciting new titles, THE GREAT OUTDOORS is designed to deliver the social and community experience of the outdoor lifestyle in a fun, year–round setting."
THE GREAT OUTDOORS is the first game to give outdoor enthusiasts a chance to indulge their passion online. Whether alone, with friends, or in larger groups, players will experience all the thrills of "living" in a vast and sprawling outdoor universe of hunting, fishing, camping, shooting, exploration, photography and much more. THE GREAT OUTDOORS is a paradise for the outdoorsman, with fully stocked lakes, a variety of challenging hunts available year round, and an exciting, natural world to explore. But it's also an online community and a constantly evolving world for outdoor enthusiasts and online gaming veterans to discover and enjoy.
Through a host of partnerships with top outdoor brands and celebrities, THE GREAT OUTDOORS will deliver an experience that is both realistic and incredibly exciting. Players will be able to meet and hunt with celebrities like Michael Waddell and the Brotherhood Of the Bone Collector®, The Drury Brothers, Brian "Pig Man" Quaca and many others. Players will also be able to try the newest and best equipment from companies like Remington®, REALTREE®, PSE Archer®, Weaver® Optics, Champion® Traps and Targets and WileyX®.
"We are excited to be working with Square Enix, one of today's leaders in interactive entertainment, to develop an online community game for outdoor enthusiasts — a group that outnumbers other sports enthusiasts by a ratio of 3-to-1*," said Bill Swartz, CEO of Mastiff. "Together, our two companies will provide a cutting edge gaming experience that will appeal to every part of the outdoor enthusiast community, from hunters, fishermen, archers and marksmen to campers, geocachers, and photographers, as well as to veteran MMO players."
THE GREAT OUTDOORS is not yet rated. Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings.
* Source: 2010 MRI Doublebase. "Outdoor Enthusiast" defined as participated in any outdoor activity in the last 12 months.
About Champion®
Champion is a leading provider of quality trap throwers, paper targets, metal targets, clay targets, hearing and eye protection and shooting systems. For more information please visit www.ChampionTarget.com.
About Realtree®
Realtree is the world's leading camouflage designer, marketer, and licensor with over 1,500 licensees utilizing the Realtree camouflage brand. Thousands of outdoor and lifestyle products are available in Realtree camouflage patterns. In addition, Realtree is committed to supporting individuals and groups that work to ensure our outdoor heritage, the conservation of natural places, and the wildlife that resides there. Realtree promotes its products and relationships widely on television, as well as through Realtree.com and many other outlets.
About Remington® Arms Company, Inc.
Remington Arms Company, Inc., headquartered in Madison, N.C., designs, produces and sells sporting goods products for the hunting and shooting sports markets, as well as solutions to the military, government and law enforcement markets. Founded in 1816 in upstate New York, the Company is one of the nation's oldest continuously operating manufacturers. Remington is the only U.S. manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition products and one of the largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. The Company distributes its products throughout the U.S. and in over 65 foreign countries. More information about the Company can be found at www.remington.com.
About Weaver® Optics
Weaver Optics and Mounting Systems bring more than 80 years of innovation and expertise to the shooting experience. Engineered to be the most reliable optics systems, Weaver offers a full line of scopes and mounting systems. Weaver rings set a standard for which many mounting systems are still measured and continue to provide precision shooters with the most important part of their setup. For more information and product images, visit www.WeaverOptics.com.
About Mastiff
Mastiff is a leading publisher of outdoor action and licensed products for consoles, PC and all mobile platforms. Mastiff has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco and Orlando, Florida. Titles from Mastiff include the just released Heavy Fire: Afghanistan, outdoor hits such as Deer Drive, Remington Great American Bird Hunt, and Shimano Xtreme Fishing as well as the tactical shooting simulation, Reload, the award winning Moon, and the critically acclaimed Gurumin. For more information please visit Mastiff Website at mastiff-games.com.
About Icarus Studios, Inc.
Located in Cary, North Carolina, Icarus Studios is a next generation game developer and technology provider. The studios’ xScape game development platform enables the production and cross integration of massively multi-player online games, iPhone and Facebook applications. Upcoming titles utilizing the xScape Platform include the Dexter: Slice of Life Facebook application and MMOs Hailan Rising and THE GREAT OUTDOORS. Icarus Studios' recent game credits include co-developing the award winning MMOG Fallen Earth, and developing Showtime's Dexter: The Game for iOS, PC and Mac. Icarus Studios provides its partners with a total solution that includes design and content production, monetization, customer support, hosting, and a tightly integrated technology platform
About Square Enix
Square Enix, Inc. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content throughout the Americas as part of the Square Enix Group. The Square Enix Group operates a global network of leading development studios and boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property, including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 59 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix, Inc. is a U.S.-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix, Inc. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/na/.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS© 2011 Square Enix, Inc. and Mastiff LLC. All Rights Reserved. DRAGON QUEST, EIDOS, FINAL FANTASY, SPACE INVADERS, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, TAITO and TOMB RAIDER are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. THE GREAT OUTDOORS is a trademark of Mastiff, LLC and Square Enix, Inc. MASTIFF and the MASTIFF logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Mastiff, LLC. Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
