Atari to Raise 4 Million Through Asset Divestiture
Posted by: Aaron Lockard on July 14, 2006 11:45:35 AM (54 Reads)
Atari to Sell Driver Franchise and Reflections Assets to Ubisoft
Atari, Inc. a leader in interactive entertainment, today
announced that it has entered into an agreement with Ubisoft for the
divestiture of the Driver franchise and most of the assets of the
Reflections game development studio. The sale of the Driver
intellectual property and the Reflections assets for $24 million is the
latest initiative in the Company's previously stated plans to refocus
its portfolio of franchises as well as streamlining the Company's cost
structure.
"The Atari name has been synonymous with innovation
since the beginning of interactive entertainment," said Atari, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer Bruno Bonnell. "Over the years, we have created
and nurtured some of the industry's most successful franchises and we
will continue to do so. We are focusing the energy of the Company on a
select number of franchises in order to optimize their impact among
consumers and increase shareholder value. In the driving category, we
consider Test Drive our key franchise which will require more resources
and attention to build it as a landmark of its genre."
Atari
will maintain sell-off rights for a three month period for all Driver
products except Driver: Parallel Lines, which the company retains until
end of calendar 2006. Specific financial terms of the agreement were
not disclosed and the agreement between the two companies is subject to
normal closing conditions. The Company anticipates closing of the
transaction to be completed prior to the end of its fiscal second
quarter ending September 30, 2006.