BOCA RATON, Fla., May 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Empire Interactive, an international publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software and a unit of Silverstar Holdings (Nasdaq:SSTR), will ship Animal Paradise, Agatsuma's fun and exciting virtual pet sim for Nintendo DS(tm) to North America as well other NTSC territories, including Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. The title has been a tremendous commercial success for Empire Interactive in Europe, and its blend of pet fun and quirky animal photography will have American gamers clamoring for the title.
Building on the phenomenal success of other animal titles on Nintendo DS, Animal Paradise goes further than any of its predecessors by offering 18 different animals. This inspirational title will satisfy animal lovers of all ages with its exciting mix of animals, including everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and pigs.
Animal Paradise features Yoneo Morita's HanaDeka style of animal photography, the extremely popular format of the most famous and popular pet photographer in Japan. The brand name "HanaDeka" is a cute and catchy way of saying "Big Nose" in Japanese and the photographic style is achieved utilizing fisheye lenses. HanaDeka is fast becoming popular across the world and these zany animal images can now be seen on everything from T-Shirts, mugs, underwear to Wellington boots. This crazy and entertaining photography style will be sure to capture a whole new audience in the U.S.
"The Nintendo DS handheld market has been revolutionized by the popularity of the new 'virtual pet' genre with titles such as Nintendogs, Pony Friends and the Catz and Dogz series all storming to the top of the charts," said Karim Farghaly, vice president of U.S. sales for Empire Interactive. "With 18 different animals, Animal Paradise will give gamers all the pet fun and madness they crave."
Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings added, "The broad appeal of Animal Paradise is perfect for the Nintendo DS audience and adds to our very strong title lineup of DS titles for fiscal 2009."
About Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software that has been established for 19 years. Headquartered in the UK, Empire Interactive also has offices in the U.S., Germany, France, Spain and Italy. The company develops and publishes a varied range of titles for all current platforms in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Games such as Starsky & Hutch, Big Mutha Truckers, Ford Racing and FlatOut have all enjoyed success across the world. Its budget label, Xplosiv, is one of the fastest growing in Europe. Further information about Empire Interactive and its products can be found at http://www.empireinteractive.com.
The Empire Interactive logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3408
About Silverstar Holdings
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. is an international publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software that operates primarily through two wholly owned subsidiaries: Empire Interactive, PLC and Strategy First, Inc. Empire Interactive, http://www.empireinteractive.com, is an award-winning developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software games, including Starsky & Hutch, Big Mutha Truckers, Ford Racing and FlatOut series. Empire's products are delivered on both console and PC platforms. Strategy First, http://www.strategyfirst.com, is a worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC, including the award winning Disciples, Jack Keene, Jagged Alliance, and Space Empires series. For more information about Silverstar Holdings, go to http://www.silverstarholdings.com.
Agatsuma Entertainment
Agatsuma Entertainment is an interactive TV/hand-held game publishing company, and also an agent company, coordinating deals between publishers and developers world wide. Based in Tokyo, Japan, Agatsuma Entertainment was founded by a group of highly experienced game/toy industry veterans. For more information, contact info@agatsuma-toys.com.
Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo.