Atari Announces RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Demo and Pre-Sell Campaign Offering Exclusive, Professionally Designed Coasters

Business Wire, Sept 15, 2004

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Playable Game Demo of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Available Sept. 27th

Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) has announced a "RollerCoaster Tycoon(R) 3 Pre-Order Campaign" and demo program, both part of a comprehensive multi-vehicle marketing campaign for the November 2nd launch of RollerCoaster Tycoon(R) 3. The pre-order program allows consumers who reserve a copy of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the highly anticipated next addition of the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, to download three professionally designed coasters that were created exclusively for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. A playable demo of the game will be available for download on Monday, September 27th at www.atari.com/rollercoastertycoon and on partner sites.

Famous for the Nemesis and Oblivion rides at Alton Towers Park in England, world renowned roller coaster designer and creator John Wardley designed five roller coasters for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 that are only available through the pre-sell campaign and won't be included in the final game. Consumers are able to pre-order RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 at participating retail partners from now until the November 2nd launch.

"I've had a great time designing coasters with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3," said John Wardley, professional roller coaster designer. "Atari and Frontier are creating a superb amusement park simulation and the addition of real-life coaster technology and the ability to ride the rides you create makes the game as intense as it is captivating."

Consumers will be able to download a "coaster pack" which contains three exclusive Wardley designed pre-sell coasters. The coaster packs differ depending on where consumers place their pre-order as outlined below:

--  Dueling Dragsters:
            A twin-track racing standup style coaster set in an
            oasis-style park. Available through pre-orders at all
            participating retailers.

    --  Tesla Coiler:
            A crazy launched coaster which looks like a giant Tesla
            coil. Available through pre-orders at all participating
            retailers.

    --  Splinter:
            A hillside wooden coaster with a lift near the end of the
            ride. Available through pre-orders everywhere except
            Electronics Boutique or Gamestop where the below coasters
            are substituted.

    --  Serpentine:
            A large inverter (like Nemesis, only bigger) set in a
            quarry or canyon. Available through pre-orders at
            Electronics Boutique exclusively.

    --  White Palms:
            A large and fast giga-coaster set over a lake. Available
            through pre-orders at Gamestop exclusively.

The RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 pre-sell program begins on September 15th at participating retailers and the exclusive pre-sell coasters will be available for download beginning on October 26th, one week prior to the game's November 2nd in-store date.

At the time of registration, consumers at Electronics Boutique, Gamestop and Best Buy in the U.S., and other local retailers worldwide, will receive a pre-sell box. This box will contain a key-code and instructions to unlock and download a "coaster pack" containing three custom-designed roller coasters (as outlined above). Consumers can also pre-order online at EBgames.com, Walmart.com, Amazon.com, and CompUSA.com and will receive a key code via email to download the coasters.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 features stunning 3D graphics, a CoasterCam(TM) that lets players "ride the rides," a Fireworks MixMaster(TM) to create fireworks displays, dozens of new rides and themed attractions, a Peep Designer, VIPeeps, a Sandbox Mode, customizable music and various day and nighttime cycles.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is being developed by Frontier Developments, Ltd. and has a U.S. in-store date of November 2nd and a November 5th launch date in territories outside the U.S. A demo of the game will be available worldwide on Monday, September 27th at www.atari.com/rollercoastertycoon. Additional details about the game and the pre-order campaign are also available on the web site.

About Frontier Developments, Ltd.

Frontier and its founder, David Braben, have a long association with Chris Sawyer going back to 1987, when Chris first worked on PC versions of the famous "Elite" and "Virus" games. Frontier has for many years used its own cutting-edge 3D game engine on both PC and console titles. The company has a strong track record of creating both innovative 'own-IP' games and original high-quality titles that give a faithful treatment of existing brands. The company's most recent two console games gathered three prestigious BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominations between them ("Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo" on PlayStation(R)2, Xbox, GameCube and PC, based on Aardman Animations Ltd.'s multiple Oscar(R)-winning duo; and the novel, award-winning "Dog's Life" published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe on PlayStation(R)2). Frontier employs approximately 60 people, and has offices in Cambridge and Ely in the UK.