THQ signed worldwide licensing agreement with Intellivision Productions granting it rights to publish handheld videogames via its THQ Wireless division based on several Intellivision properties. Deal gives Calabasas Hills, Cal., game maker access to more than 50 titles from industry’s earliest days, including Armor Battle, Astrosmash, Night Stalker, Shark! Shark!, Space Armada, Space Battle, Triple Action, Utopia. Intellivision introduced one of industry’s first videogame console systems in 1980 and said it sold more than 3 million of those systems and published 125 games for console before exiting arena. Astrosmash, first title under agreement, is scheduled to be released this holiday season in U.S. for Motorola i85 and i50sx. THQ has been one of game industry’s most active players in emerging wireless game field. Separately, THQ said it started shipping Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius for Game Boy Advance and PC.
Faced with continuing losses from operations, flat-panel speaker maker NXT is rethinking applications for its technology - - and its practice of filing extensive and expensive patent applications. Executives briefed us on new outlook in recent visit to company’s hq in Huntingdon, England, near Cambridge
RadioShack said Oct. sales declined to $363.9 million from $371.1 million year earlier on flat same-store sales at company- owned outlets. For year to date, sales were up 2% to $3.52 billion on 2% same-store sales increase. On same-store sales for Oct., company said parts, batteries and accessories were up by mid-single digits. It said strong sales of special-purpose batteries and video accessories were negated in part by drop in computer accessories. Wireless communications rose 40% in dollars, 70% in units. Core AV category fell by high teens, with DirecTV business down 25%, mainly on decline in average selling price to $50 from $100 year ago. Personal electronics fell by mid-single digits on difficult comparisons with promotionally active Oct. 2000. RadioShack said it expected to post flat total merchandise sales for 4th quarter.
Soundmax SPX audio technology is available to Xbox videogame developers through Microsoft Xbox tools and middleware program, Analog Devices announced Tues. Technology already is available for developers of titles for PC and PlayStation 2. Soundmax SPX is said to reproduce realistic sound effects that change in real time in direct response to player’s input.
Move by Harman International (HI) to expand its car OEM business to 65% of revenue over next 5 years will be done in “a careful, conservative, very well-prepared way,” Exec. Chmn. Sidney Harman said at N.Y. news conference after our Mon. deadline. News conference came only hours after annual HI investor/analyst conference at which it said key to expansion of car OEM business would be company’s Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) fiber networking bus technology that Harman projected could be installed in as many as one million vehicles by 2006. Harman/Becker automotive division is first supplier of MOST-based navigation and multimedia systems, which already is being used by BMW in its new 7 Series automobiles and will be implemented soon in new vehicles from Audi, Mercedes Benz, Porsche. Harman/Becker developed MOST in conjunction with Audi, BMW, Daimler-Chrysler and Oasis Silicon Systems, and technology now is supported by 17 international car makers and more than 50 key component suppliers, HI said.
Ubi Soft Entertainment opened ubi.com videogaming portal aimed at casual and hardcore gamers. Paris-based game maker said site at start was open only to N. American and French gamers, but it “will eventually spread to other countries.” Ubi.com Managing Dir. Gilles Langourieux said company believed “it is crucial for gaming companies to have strong ties with their customers and we believe ubi.com will bring us closer to the PC fan base.” He said company planned extend site “to console gamers later in the year.” Site is using new technology, company said. On community front, Ubi Soft licensed forum technology to make it easy for players to post their comments and ideas online; it also is using new proprietary matchmaking application that’s fully integrated directly into all supported Ubi Soft games. Among Ubi PC multiplayer games supported at site are Conflict Zone, Conquest Frontier Wars, IL-2 Sturmovik, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Rogue Spear: Black Thorn. Company said: “As the next generation of console-based networks evolve, ubi.com anticipates supporting them as well.” Ubi Soft said site also would be destination for massively multiplayer online games starting with Shadowbane, subscription-based, role-playing strategy game expected to be released in first half 2002. Company said it would start closed beta test of latter game early this month “with hundreds of users and gradually increase that number to thousands as game development progresses.”
Matsushita Battery Industrial said it had produced cumulative total of 100 billion dry cells, 83% of which were manganese batteries, rest alkalines. About 40% were produced in Japan, company said.
Midway Games began shipping NHL Hitz 20-02 for Xbox at $49.99. Title already had been released for PS2 and version for GameCube is to ship Nov. 13. Midway Mktg. Vp Helene Sheeler said it would be “the only hockey videogame available for the Xbox videogame system at launch” Nov. 15.
Future Shop founder Hassan Khosrowshahi departs as chmn.-CEO following its acquisition by Best Buy; Kevin Layden remains Future Shop pres.-COO, reporting to Best Buy Pres.-COO Brad Anderson.
As Harman International moves to expand car OEM business to 65% of revenue by 2006, it said it would lessen reliance on CE products. Car OEM currently accounts for about 50% of overall revenue, trailed by professional and consumer products at 30% and 20%, respectively, Exec. Chmn. Sidney Harman told investors and analysts at company’s annual meeting in N.Y. Mon. As car business grows, CE share is likely to fall in 10-20% range, company said.