LYON, FRANCE, January 29, 2001 - Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext
5257) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Hasbro Interactive from
Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), creating one of the foremost powerhouses in the mass market
digital interactive entertainment world. "The completion of the
acquisition is extremely exciting for us, as it fits perfectly with our corporate strategy
of building the premier publisher of digital interactive entertainment for the whole
family," stated Bruno Bonnell, chairman and CEO of Infogrames. "We felt that
Hasbro Interactive was an ideal partner due to its lineup of over 250 titles, together
with licensing access to Hasbro's 600 franchises, in addition to our shared vision and
commitment to shareholder value.
"Effective
immediately, Hasbro Interactive will utilize the Infogrames name and branding strategy.
Further details regarding the integration of Hasbro Interactive into the Infogrames family
will be provided in the coming weeks.
The strategic
agreement, signed this past December, is comprised of three main elements, including
Infogrames' acquisition of all of Hasbro Interactive's assets including Atari and
MicroProse; the acquisition of Games.com; and a long-term licensing agreement with Hasbro,
Inc. giving Infogrames exclusive rights to develop and publish digital interactive games
based on current and future Hasbro properties on all existing and future digital
interactive formats.
Infogrames purchased
100% of the common stock of Hasbro Interactive for $100 million - comprised of $95 million
in Infogrames Entertainment SA securities (approximately 4.5 million common shares) and $5
million in cash. The deal was unanimously approved at a general meeting of Infogrames
Entertainment shareholders on January 23.
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