GT Interactive and EAI to Create Technology-Driven 'Trans-Am Racing' Simulation
9 January 1998
GT Interactive and EAI to Create Technology-Driven 'Trans-Am Racing' Simulation
GT Interactive Enters Into Global Licensing Agreement with The Sports Car Club
of America
AMES, Iowa and NEW YORK, Jan. 9 -- Capturing one of the
greatest eras in automotive history, GT Interactive Software Corp.
and Engineering Animation Inc. (EAI) will
collaborate, along with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), in the creation
of a state-of-the-art Trans-Am Racing simulation game. Under terms of the
agreement with the SCCA, GT Interactive obtains worldwide rights across all
entertainment software platforms for the Trans-Am Racing series seasons of
1968-1972. Using EAI's unrivaled fusion of 3D imagery and visualization
technology, Trans-Am Racing will feature some of the most realistic automobile
physics and crashes ever created on a PC.
"The Trans-Am Racing series of the 60's and 70's were truly some of the
most influential and classic series in auto racing history," said Richard
Burns, vice president of Domestic Publishing for GT Interactive. "By melding
a timeless property like Trans-Am Racing, with the technology and expertise of
EAI, we can bring to life all of the excitement, charisma, and nostalgia of
the hot muscle cars that defined a legendary era for auto racing."
Trans-Am -- A High Technology Racer
"We're very pleased that GT Interactive, a global leader and the fastest
growing publisher in the interactive entertainment software industry, has
selected EAI to develop their premier racing simulation game," said Linda
Lannon, senior director of interactive business development at EAI. "EAI will
capture the true look and feel of Trans-Am Racing, as car motion and crashes
are instantaneously rendered with our cutting-edge software, which actualizes
force, movement, and automobile orientation -- in real time -- on the computer
screen."
Scheduled for release on PC CD-ROM this fall, Trans-Am Racing will
showcase EAI's state-of-the-art 3D rendering and animation software which
combines realistic engineering with unparalleled 3D imagery, used by
manufacturers in such industries as aerospace, automotive and heavy equipment.
EAI's technology and expertise have also garnered them nearly a decade of
experience in auto accident recreations for litigation purposes, a field where
absolute realism is a prerequisite.
The Trans-Am Era Comes Alive Again
"As sanctioning body of the Trans-Am, we're excited with this new
partnership that will bring the history of North America's longest-running
road racing series to life," said John Clagett, vice president of
Communications for SCCA Pro Racing. "The early years of the Trans-Am featured
the greatest cars and racers of the era in fender-to-fender, drama-filled
competition. The Trans-Am Racing simulation game will rekindle interest in
the roots of the Trans-Am and bring new fans to today's NTB Trans-Am
series -- still the most exciting, action-packed, ground-pounding road racing
anywhere."
By securing the exclusive worldwide rights to the sights and sounds that
were the backbone of Trans-Am Racing from 1968-1972, GT Interactive plans to
treat fans to the actual drivers, tracks, cars, and images that helped
establish Trans-Am Racing as the era's premier racing spectacle. Every road
track in the game, most of which have never been seen before in a racing
simulation, will be period correct to meticulous detail, along with each of
the classic muscle cars and their attributes. Drivers can get behind the
wheel of such classics as the '68 Chevrolet Camaro, '70 Boss Mustang FB, '70
Pontiac Firebird, '66 Dodge Dart and '72 AMC Javelin.
Headquartered in New York, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading
global publisher of entertainment and edutainment software under the GT
Interactive, SingleTrac, Cavedog Entertainment and MacSoft brands for personal
computers as well as video game systems from Sony and Nintendo. GT
Interactive is also a leader in value-priced software under the WizardWorks,
CompuWorks and Slash brands. Located on the World Wide Web at
http://www.gtinteractive.com , GT Interactive is publicly traded on the Nasdaq
National Market under the symbol GTIS.
EAI is a leading producer of enterprise-wide product data visualization
and collaboration software solutions for manufacturing corporations. EAI is
also a leading developer of interactive products created for corporations and
publishers to use in education, game development, litigation and corporate
marketing. EAI's corporate headquarters and technology center are located in
Ames, Iowa, with offices worldwide. EAI is publicly traded on the Nasdaq
National Market under the symbol EAII and is located on the World Wide Web at
http://www.eai.com
SOURCE Engineering Animation Inc.
