Virgin Announce Professional SportsCar Racing Title

Virgin Interactive Entertainment today announced that they will sponsor the PSCR series and produce a racing title due late 1998 on both PC and PlayStation. The full release below also confirms “Ferraris, Porsches and Corvettes, models such as the new Ford Esperante, the Oldsmobile Aurora, Acura’s high-end NSX and the McClaren F1, the fastest production sports car on earth will also be featured in the game, which will carry the endorsement of Professional SportsCar Racing, Inc.”

Press release:

VIRGIN INTERACTIVE STAKES A CLAIM ON THE SPORTS CAR RACING WORLD
Leading Interactive Entertainment Company Sponsors Professional SportsCar Racing, Inc. Circuit and Paves the Way for New Racing Game Brand

IRVINE, CA., May 5, 1997 — Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari — cars so sexy that they draw envious stares at street lights and in parking lots. For Virgin Interactive, an innovative developer of PC and console games, these lean luxury sports cars mean more than speed and class — they represent an opportunity to develop a new category of interactive racing games.

The Irvine, Calif.-based Virgin Interactive is staking claim on the growing global popularity of sports car racing by sponsoring the Professional SportsCar Racing, Inc. circuit. Along with worldwide exposure for Virgin Interactive, the wide-ranging sponsorship provides the company with a premiere opportunity to develop a racing game based on famed automobile models from the Professional SportsCar Racing circuit. Virgin Interactive is a subsidiary of Spelling Entertainment Group Inc., (NYSE: SP).

“Sponsoring the Professional SportsCar Racing circuit is a great opportunity for Virgin Interactive to work closely with the teams and drivers to create the most realistic and exciting interactive sports car racing brand in the market,” said Simon Jeffery, vice president, marketing, Virgin Interactive. “The circuit is offering Virgin an unprecedented degree of cooperation in terms of design and technical detail, which will allow us to deliver a higher level of product in the sports racing game genre.”

Virgin Interactive, which has already enjoyed computer and console racing game success with titles such as its “Screamer” series, presently has an arrangement to produce two circuit-endorsed SportsCar racing games.

Producers at Virgin Interactive are developing the tentatively titled “Professional SportsCar Racing” game, slated for release in late 1998 for Windows 95 computers and Sony PlayStation consoles. Along with Ferraris, Porsches and Corvettes, models such as the new Ford Esperante, the Oldsmobile Aurora, Acura’s high-end NSX and the McClaren F1, the fastest production sports car on earth will also be featured in the game, which will carry the endorsement of Professional SportsCar Racing, Inc.

“Bringing these special cars to computer and console players was a huge incentive for working with the circuit,” said Aron Drayer, producer, Virgin Interactive. “The physical attributes of sports car racing lend themselves to a great game with competitions often including day and night driving and the actual racing tracks being rugged road surfaces not repetitious loops. Sports car races are tough events, usually running for six, 12, or 24-hour periods, creating a need for smart, endurance driving, not merely raw speed.”

The cars in “Professional SportsCar Racing” will not only look the part, they’ll drive like it. Utilizing advanced driving simulations created for the auto industry, the game will feature aerodynamically-correct replicas of sports car models, so players will know what it’s like to command each set of wheels. The game will also feature physically accurate representations of most race tracks on the circuit and likenesses of famed racing teams.

Presently, Virgin Interactive sponsors the Exxon Supreme GT racing series. Company stickers can be seen on race cars and signage adorns the tracks at every major race on the circuit. Virgin Interactive’s sponsorship comes at a pivotal period in sports car racing history with consumer interest and television exposure at an all-time high. ESPN covers both the 12-hour Sebring and the 24-hour Daytona, Fla. races. Additional race coverage is expected on Speed Vision, the all-sports cable network’s new racing channel.

With the sports car racing circuit changing and growing, Virgin Interactive’s involvement in the sport is particularly timely. “The fact that Virgin Interactive Entertainment, a company known for its creative vision, has chosen the Exxon Supreme GT series as the platform to create its first sports car racing interactive title provides us with even more strength in our marketing mix,” said Jack Long, CEO of SportsCar. “The profile of the Series will continue to increase both with the game and through the company’s marketing program.”

Professional SportsCar Racing, Inc., formerly called International Motor Sports Association, recently underwent organizational changes. Renamed at Sebring, the circuit’s sanctioning body is now simply called SportsCar. A snazzy new logo is on view at the tracks and on the organization’s website — www.professionalsportscar.com.

Founded in 1983, Virgin Interactive is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of award-winning computer and video games. The company is dedicated to delivering top quality, ground-breaking interactive entertainment to gamers across all major platforms. Among VI’s successes are such pioneering titles as The 7th Guest and Westwood Studios’ phenomenal Command & Conquer franchise. VI continues to lead the industry by acquiring compelling products, forming strategic partnerships, and developing its valuable resources. More information Virgin Interactive and its products can be found at http://www.vie.com.