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International Entertainment News

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Marc Ecko and Atari, Inc. Embark on Nationwide Store Tour

Marc Ecko and Atari, Inc. Embark on Nationwide Store Tour

- Store Visits to Support Launch of Innovative 'Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure' Video Game -

NEW YORK, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAR) and Marc Ecko, the visionary behind several of today's most respected youth lifestyle brands, today announced a nationwide tour of in-store appearances to celebrate the launch of Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. Shipping to stores nationwide on February 14th, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is a gripping digital adventure that fuses innovative gameplay, a provocative storyline, an eclectic and renowned cast, and a musical score featuring some of the most influential voices and sounds of the generation.

The "Getting Up" tour will stop in some of the country's biggest cities, including New York, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. During these stops, Marc Ecko and friends -- ranging from hip-hop artists to acclaimed graffiti artists -- will appear at several retail stores, such as GameStop and Virgin Megastores, to sign copies of the new game. They also will give away special gifts that include the official Getting Up Blackbook, which features an exclusive collection of graffiti art and an insider's look at the game's development process.

"Producing a game that encompasses such originality and innovation has been an incredible experience and we are very excited to unveil Getting Up," said Marc Ecko. "This tour is our way to celebrate its launch and say thanks to all of our supporters."

The tour kicks off at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, NYC on Thursday, February 16th at 6 PM with Marc Ecko, The RZA, Rakim and legendary graffiti artists Cope 2, T-Kid and Seen. The Getting Up tour will conclude a week later at the Virgin Megastore in Chicago on February 23rd.

Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is a sprawling tale in which freedom of expression is suppressed in the name of maintaining public safety by a tyrannical government. Gamers assume the role of Trane, an unlikely hero just looking to "get up," or gain fame by making his graffiti "tag" in as many places as possible, until he realizes there is so much more at stake. Players learn and master various "graf" skills while navigating through the vertical landscapes of the fictional urban city of New Radius. During their quest, players must sneak past and battle against rival crews, a corrupt Mayor, and the city's brutal Civil Conduct Keepers (CCK). The goal: to reach the sweet spots of New Radius, where a well-placed tag at first brings respect and reputation but later becomes the platform upon which to expose the oppressive mayor, spread the voice of a revolution, and set a city free.

With themes related to the balance of freedom of expression and the pressure to maintain civil order that echo contemporary headlines, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure offers diverse gameplay and an impressive array of graffiti tags to provide a creative, rewarding and challenging experience to the player. More than 65 graffiti artists have lent their signature tags and art to the urban environments, while six legendary artists -- Cope 2, FUTURA, OBEY: Shepard Fairey, Seen, Smith and T-Kid -- serve as in- game mentors to its protagonist, Trane.

In addition, Mr. Ecko, through the support of Sean "Diddy" Combs' legendary A&R skills, has assembled a soundtrack featuring an array of licensed music and various original tracks, including an exclusive version of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya," remixed by Serj from the band System of a Down; "Clik, Clak, and Spray" from Pack FM; "Book of Judges" from Pharoahe Monch; and "Getting Up Anthem: Part 1," performed by legendary Hip-Hop artist Rakim and Talib Kweli.

Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure also includes a variety of star-studded voice talent such as Sean "Diddy" Combs, Rosario Dawson, Brittany Murphy, George Hamilton, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam West, Andy Dick, Charlie Murphy, The RZA and Michael "M.C. Serch" Berrin.

Developed by The Collective, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is rated 'M' for Mature and will be available for the PlayStation(R) 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows. A mobile version is currently available through Glu Mobile. For additional information about the game please visit http://www.gettingup.com/.

About Marc Ecko Enterprises

The youngest member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's board of directors, Marc Ecko is founder of *ecko unltd., the world famous rhino brand. In eleven years since its creation in 1993, the group of companies that comprise Marc Ecko Enterprises has grown to include: *ecko unltd.(R) men's and Eckored(R) women's apparel, as well as outerwear, footwear, watches, eyewear, underwear, belts, bags, hats, small leather goods, formalwear and more.

Marc Ecko Enterprises also includes Marc Ecko "Cut & Sew" (a contemporary menswear line launched Fall 2004); G-Unit(R) clothing and accessories (a joint venture with multi-platinum musician, 50 Cent); Zoo York(R) (a line of action sports-inspired clothing and accessories); and Avirex(R) Sportswear Collection (a mid-tier brand launched Spring 2005). The Company also publishes Complex(R) magazine, a men's consumer magazine with a rate base of 335,000, and is developing Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure(TM), the first truly authentic video game based on urban culture and graffiti art debuting February 2006. *ecko unltd. products are available in over 5,000 stores domestically and in over 45 countries internationally, as well as through 38 of its own retail stores across the country. For additional information, please visit http://www.marceckoenterprises.com/.

About The Collective

Part of Foundation 9 Entertainment (http://www.f9e.com/), the largest independent game developer in North America, The Collective is a leading developer of console video games, and known for groundbreaking third-person action adventure games, including the critically acclaimed Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb(TM), Buffy the Vampire Slayer(TM) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith(TM). The Collective is based in Newport Beach, CA and can be found on the web at: http://www.collectivestudios.com/.

The Collective, along with Backbone, Pipeworks, ImaginEngine, and Digital Eclipse make up Foundation 9 Entertainment. The company's studios have developed more than 250 titles, including more than 50 in 2004 alone. Foundation 9 Entertainment employs more than 325 employees, and has offices in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Emeryville, Vancouver, Boston, Eugene, and Honolulu. For more information on Foundation 9 Entertainment, please visit: http://www.f9e.com/.

About Atari

New York-based Atari, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard- core, genre-defining franchises such as DRIVER(TM), The Matrix(TM) (Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo), Stuntman(TM) and Test Drive(R); and mass- market and children's franchises such as Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM) and Dora the Explorer(TM), and Dragon Ball Z(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR- 0000052573), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit http://www.atari.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

With the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain certain "forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this release are not promises or guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. We caution you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein. Some of the factors which could cause our results to differ materially include the following: the loss of key customers, such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, GameStop and EB Games; delays in product development and related product release schedules; inability to secure capital; loss of our credit facility; adapting to the rapidly changing industry technology, including new console technology; maintaining relationships with leading independent video game software developers; maintaining or acquiring licenses to intellectual property; fluctuations in the Company's quarterly net revenues and results of operations based on the seasonality of our industry; the termination or modification of our agreements with hardware manufacturers; and other factors described in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2005 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations.

ATARI, the ATARI logo, and classic Atari game titles and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Interactive, Inc. or its affiliates.

"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Atari, Inc.

CONTACT: Andrea Schneider of Atari, Inc., +1-212-726-4259,
andrea.schneider@atari.com; or Tara Bruno of HighWater Group (For Atari),
+1-212-338-0077 ext. 302, tara@highwatergroup.com

Web site: http://www.atari.com/
http://www.f9e.com/
http://www.marceckoenterprises.com/
http://www.gettingup.com/

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