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San Diego, CA – January 30, 2011 – Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz” or “the Company”) (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Epic Games, Inc. to produce a range of accessories for the highly anticipated Gears of War 3, scheduled to be released exclusively for Xbox 360® during the 2011 holiday season.
Under the terms of the agreement, Mad Catz has secured global rights to produce and market a range of officially branded specialty controllers, headphones and peripherals for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system.
Developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the Gears of War franchise has won over 50 game of the year awards, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and redefined the third-person shooter genre for the current console generation. One of the bestselling Xbox game series of all time, Gears of War is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and its riveting multiplayer action makes it one of the most popular titles on Xbox LIVE.
Mad Catz was one of Epic Games’ original licensing partners as it produced Gears of War and Gears of War 2 themed products for Xbox 360 including faceplates, a faceplate and Console Skinz™ combo pack including graphics to customize the sides of the console, and a Console Crate™ hard case for transporting and storing the Xbox 360 console.
“We are delighted to extend our relationship with Epic Games and look forward to creating a distinctive range of accessories for the next release of one of the most successful franchises in the industry’s history,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. “Our Gears of War agreement is consistent with our strategies to align Mad Catz with the industry’s most popular and anticipated game titles and to develop and globally distribute high-value products that enhance the gaming experience. Gears of War is a marquee relationship for Mad Catz and helps us further grow and diversify our industry-leading portfolio of branded videogame accessories.”
“Mad Catz has a history of successfully leveraging the Gears of War brand to bring high value accessories to market and elevate the game’s excitement and reality. We are excited to work with them again on what we expect will be one of the biggest video game releases of all time,” said Jay Wilbur, Vice President, Epic Games.
