Bangkok--Mar 16--EA
EA moves to extend her leadership in Thailand’s PC games market by continuing her drive towards local development, local pricing and local strategies.
Electronic Arts? World Inc. (EA), the local division of the world's largest interactive entertainment software company, Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) recently announced it will ship the Thai version of Sim City 3000 in April 1999.
Since 1989, Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts, has shipped over five million copies in the SimCity line. On 28 January 1999, Thai gamers were taken by storm when EA shipped the much awaited Sim City 3000? Express version — the new generation in its city-building game line.
As in the original SimCity, players are in charge of creating an entire metropolis from the ground-up and keeping their SimCitizens happy. With a deeper and more realistic simulation and some of the most spectacular graphics ever seen in a computer game, SimCity 3000 gives players more power to build and rule their cities than ever before.
“SimCity 3000 Thai version will bring state-of-the-art gameplay right into the hearts and minds of the Thai general public,” said Erik Lee, Country Manager of EA. “Because of its very wide appeal, it is a rare product that will provide EA Thailand with very high leverage to break into the Thai mass market. As such we are planning several SimCity 3000 related marketing projects with mass market appeal.”
“Instead of just selling in traditional channels such as Pantip Plaza, EA will ride on SimCity 3000 Thai version’s mass appeal to open non-traditional channels such as mass-merchants,” said Natdanai Kaewmanee, EA’s Sales and Marketing Manager. “We look forward to the day where computer and video games will be sold in not just software stores, but also music and video entertainment stores and superstores all around Thailand.”
“SimCity 3000 Thai version features some of Bangkok’s more prominent architectural sites such as the Democracy Monument, Wat Thai, Rama 9 Park and the Bai Yok II, the tallest hotel in the world. Graphical localization takes us one level up in our localisation skill from our previous localized game, KKNDII, which had only voice- and text- localizations,” according to Parit Paritmonkol, EA’s Product Manager. “This takes us another baby step towards fully producing a completely made-in-Thailand game in our very own studios sometime in the future.”
“SimCity 3000 adds new simulation layers, such as waste management and water pollution, that challenge players with decisions on how to manage their city budget as well as their citizens’ demands,” Parit Paritmonkol added. “Players can strike deals to bring certain businesses into their city-from a megamall to a high-tech research facility-or even trade resources with neighboring cities. As players successfully pilot their fledgling town, they can check their progress and get expert advice through an interactive news ticker, a colorful cadre of advisors and their vocal citizen petitioners. And everything will be in Thai.”
“While EA has ample resources and technology to contribute to the local interactive entertainment software industry, our development capital for Thai games is still seriously threatened by software piracy,” stressed Erik Lee. “Our industry is a fragile one that at present faces the constant threat of software piracy. It is sad that as a result, Thai developers will lack incentive to produce world-class products. Countries like Singapore and Taiwan will move ahead leaving Thailand behind if this trend is not quickly reversed.”
Encouragingly, EA’s reduced-price policy, as announced in November 1997, has proven to be the right business model for Thailand. “We will continue to supply Thai consumers with affordable, high quality interactive entertainment products. We are committed to building up the interactive entertainment industry in Thailand and making Thailand our hub for the Indo-Chinese operations and distribution.”
About Electronic Arts Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $1.1 billion for calendar 1998. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under seven brand names: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS(tm), Maxis(tm), ORIGIN(tm), Bullfrog(tm) Productions, Westwood Studios(tm) and Jane's? Combat Simulations. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com.
About Maxis Maxis, best known for its Sim family of products, develops and publishes top-quality entertainment software that uses advanced simulation technologies to deliver challenging fun through creativity, exploration and depth of play. To date, players around the world have purchased more than seven million Maxis games including SimCity Classic, SimCity 2000, SimEarth(tm), SimAnt(tm), SimFarm(tm) and SimTower(tm). Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts, is based in Walnut Creek, California.
Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, Maxis, ORIGIN, Bullfrog and Westwood Studios, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Jane's is a registered trademark of Jane's Information Group Ltd.
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