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To all I plan on visiting Fiesta Texas Tuesday July 17th and check out the two VR Zones Ferris has there. I hope to be able to experience all their products and will post my impressions on the board next weekend. It is great that we have some MM support on the bid. It has been a long time since I have seen that.
Take Care,
Greg
(OT) - Analyst remains bullish on Electronic Arts, video game providers
http://biz.yahoo.com/oo/010709/61139.html
Greg
GAMZ CEO Shareholder e-mail sent out today.....
Friends and shareholders:
It's been awhile since I have communicated with you, so I thought it appropriate to advise you what we've been doing since our last press release.
Essentially, it's as simple as: we're diligently proceeding on consummation of the Ferris merger.
From the perspective of both GameCom's and Ferris' managements, it's a "done deal" for all practical purposes. Ferris has moved its Dallas-area satellite sales office into GameCom's headquarters, and we're finalizing plans to move all of the combined company's operations to Phoenix, including GameCom operational personnel. Steve Haag is already on his second out-of-town trip regarding Ferris' theme park operations.
As you can see, we are in fact proceeding with combining the two companies.
However, the proxy statement process has been a bit daunting. Essentially, we have to get our accountants to combine the companies' audited financial statements backward in proforma manner, so that the proxy statement will reflect how the operations would have looked if the companies had already been combined.
I am hopeful of having a draft of the proxy statement any day now from our securities counsel, and we should have the proforma financials by the end of the week. I'm hoping for filing by the middle of next week, and then we'll be awaiting any SEC review and comments. I expect that we'll get the proxy statement out by the end of the month, and I'm very hopeful that the merger will be completed by the middle of August, so that the 2nd quarter 10-Q will be for the combined company.
We have been hard at work on business opportunities as well. Bob and I, and the current boards of directors of the two companies, have interviewed several IR/PR firms, and we're hopeful of a decision as soon as the end of this week. We'll probably hold up on any further news releases, including one I know you're going to like, until we've retained an IR/PR firm, and then let the "pros" handle the releases.
All in all, this has been a very productive, although admittedly quiet, couple of months for GameCom/Ferris.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to an investment in GameCom. I respectfully refer you to GameCom's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
L. Kelly Jones, GameCom CEO
GAMZ CEO Shareholder e-mail sent out today.....
Friends and shareholders:
It's been awhile since I have communicated with you, so I thought it appropriate to advise you what we've been doing since our last press release.
Essentially, it's as simple as: we're diligently proceeding on consummation of the Ferris merger.
From the perspective of both GameCom's and Ferris' managements, it's a "done deal" for all practical purposes. Ferris has moved its Dallas-area satellite sales office into GameCom's headquarters, and we're finalizing plans to move all of the combined company's operations to Phoenix, including GameCom operational personnel. Steve Haag is already on his second out-of-town trip regarding Ferris' theme park operations.
As you can see, we are in fact proceeding with combining the two companies.
However, the proxy statement process has been a bit daunting. Essentially, we have to get our accountants to combine the companies' audited financial statements backward in proforma manner, so that the proxy statement will reflect how the operations would have looked if the companies had already been combined.
I am hopeful of having a draft of the proxy statement any day now from our securities counsel, and we should have the proforma financials by the end of the week. I'm hoping for filing by the middle of next week, and then we'll be awaiting any SEC review and comments. I expect that we'll get the proxy statement out by the end of the month, and I'm very hopeful that the merger will be completed by the middle of August, so that the 2nd quarter 10-Q will be for the combined company.
We have been hard at work on business opportunities as well. Bob and I, and the current boards of directors of the two companies, have interviewed several IR/PR firms, and we're hopeful of a decision as soon as the end of this week. We'll probably hold up on any further news releases, including one I know you're going to like, until we've retained an IR/PR firm, and then let the "pros" handle the releases.
All in all, this has been a very productive, although admittedly quiet, couple of months for GameCom/Ferris.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to an investment in GameCom. I respectfully refer you to GameCom's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
L. Kelly Jones, GameCom CEO
CEO Shareholder e-mail sent out today.....
Friends and shareholders:
It's been awhile since I have communicated with you, so I thought it appropriate to advise you what we've been doing since our last press release.
Essentially, it's as simple as: we're diligently proceeding on consummation of the Ferris merger.
From the perspective of both GameCom's and Ferris' managements, it's a "done deal" for all practical purposes. Ferris has moved its Dallas-area satellite sales office into GameCom's headquarters, and we're finalizing plans to move all of the combined company's operations to Phoenix, including GameCom operational personnel. Steve Haag is already on his second out-of-town trip regarding Ferris' theme park operations.
As you can see, we are in fact proceeding with combining the two companies.
However, the proxy statement process has been a bit daunting. Essentially, we have to get our accountants to combine the companies' audited financial statements backward in proforma manner, so that the proxy statement will reflect how the operations would have looked if the companies had already been combined.
I am hopeful of having a draft of the proxy statement any day now from our securities counsel, and we should have the proforma financials by the end of the week. I'm hoping for filing by the middle of next week, and then we'll be awaiting any SEC review and comments. I expect that we'll get the proxy statement out by the end of the month, and I'm very hopeful that the merger will be completed by the middle of August, so that the 2nd quarter 10-Q will be for the combined company.
We have been hard at work on business opportunities as well. Bob and I, and the current boards of directors of the two companies, have interviewed several IR/PR firms, and we're hopeful of a decision as soon as the end of this week. We'll probably hold up on any further news releases, including one I know you're going to like, until we've retained an IR/PR firm, and then let the "pros" handle the releases.
All in all, this has been a very productive, although admittedly quiet, couple of months for GameCom/Ferris.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to an investment in GameCom. I respectfully refer you to GameCom's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
L. Kelly Jones, GameCom CEO
Which PC game should get a console port?
A lot of hot PC games are going to consoles that should generate more interest in products like Netgamelink that can play any PC game with console gamers that visit arcades.
http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/features/0,12059,2783152,00.html
Take Care,
Greg
Dennis - Ever bit of exposure GAMZ can get IMO will help. I am on a lot of newsletter lists to see if GAMZ has any coverage. So far they haven't been followed by too many people. These are all the sites I could find that mentioned GAMZ.
Newsletters and sites Following/Mentioning Gamecom:
Great GAMZ Profile on Taxin.com.
http://www.taxin.com/ic10.htm
OTCEAGLE profile of GAMZ added 3/19/2001.
http://www.otceagle.com/profiles/gamz.html
Stockcover lists GAMZ as an OTC pick.
http://www.stockcover.com/html/otc.html
Promotion-Alert:
http://www.promotion-alert.com/ex2.phtml?APL_PAGE=pa00050.phtml&CMD=Detail&company_id=646
Great site with a lot of Gamecom information:
http://www.profitcentral.net/g-story.htm
This site also has a lot of Gamecom information and has picked Gamecom as their November 2000 Profile Stock:
http://www.marketcast.tv/profilearchives.html
Pennyguide has GAMZ as a stock to watch on their possible pennies page.
http://pennyguide.topcities.com/possiblepennies.htm
Profit Picks Model Portfolio of the Week (1/8/01)
http://www.profitpicks.com/model2.htm
Penny Pic has GAMZ on there picks page.
http://www.pennystocks.pennypic.com/
GAMZ is on the Bull Sector Video Game Stock List.
http://www.bullsector.com/videogames.html
GAMZ is on the Kiosks.ORG stock page.
http://www.kiosks.org/stock.shtml
Take Care,
Greg
ICOA Ceocast transcript
Management Interviewed:
George Strouthopoulos,
CEO
William P. Lord,
President
Interviewer: Michael Wax
Interviewed on: June 28 2001
Interviewer Question: Give us an overview of the company?
Overview of the company:
William - Basically Webcenter Technologies Inc. is deploying a network of video public Internet terminals in airports predominately and following through with deployments in hotels and convention centers. Our goal is to provide affordable convenient public Internet access service in high footfall public locations such as transportation terminals and retail arenas.
Interviewer Question: How do you secure these locations?
William - Well in a number of manners. One is when we take down airports we usually partner with the RBOX who are responding to the bids as master concessionaires and that is for the pay phone concessions and then they outsource the pay fax or pay Internet portion to us and we come in as a third party turnkey solutions provider. We own operate and pay for the installations and setups and run independently in these environments.
Interviewer: Now of course the terminals are known as the Webcenter 3000. What are some of the features of them?
William - Well the current terminals which we just deployed at the beginning of this month in San Francisco allow for sending and retrieving e-mail on a high speed Internet line printing those documents off and this is with a keyboard and a touch screen so your not required to have a device with you like a laptop or a PDA.The device will also allow you to place long distance calls. It accepts credit cards and it also offers referral services to the local hotels where you can touch the touch screen and immediately be linked to reservations and obviously it hosts other E-commerce opportunities ranging from Shopping, Travel, Financial.
Interviewer: It would appear as if there are a myriad of opportunities in terms of revenue generation. As you look at the revenue model here. How would this differ from say a Kiosk?
William - Well the word Kiosk is broad and all encompassing. And if you have been intimate with the Kiosk industry over the last decade or even the last two decades. The real interactive aspect of the Kiosk has never really been affordable to deliver because of the lack of affordable bandwidth. And what I mean here is in the late 80's and early 90's Kiosk’s were purchased by retailers for example to teach you how to make shrimp salad in a supermarket. It wasn’t to generate revenue it was to generate good will. The old business models that actually offer interactivity on a Kiosk using traditional T1's and other means of connectivity or VSATS satellite terminals was far to expensive to be successful until literally the last few years. Now with affordable bandwidth we can truly host live interactive sessions. The key is to offer what is known as action ability so when people see something on the screen they can purchase it and have it delivered and follow through from seeing the advertisement to getting fulfillment. And we believe that today we are finally just entering the fray of affordable fulfillment oriented Kiosks again because of the provisioning of broadband services throughout the country.
George - If I may add to this the specific market that Webcenter is addressing at the present time we believe is still in its infancy and is a result of three areas. One is the payphone industry, the Internet Kiosk industry and out of home advertising which now is called Outernet. This market opportunity has emerged primarily due to increased Internet usage, decline of the payphone industry and the ongoing desire of advertisers to capture the attention of the consumer. Webcenters business model seeks to exploit this by creating a broader basket of services that addresses market demands for communications and business services. We have developed a business model that exploits the positive as well as negative aspects across several industry strengths.
Interviewer: As you look at the business model. How does the company generate revenue and who do you share them with?
William - Our revenue mix is actually based on both the services revenue (communications and business services and that is placing calls, sending and receiving e-mail and printing documents and conducting e-fax sessions of sending and receiving e-faxes) and the other side of the revenue model is the e-commerce and advertising portion and our model calls for over half of our revenue being generated from the e-commerce side and we have structured a number of relationships that we can’t announce yet because they aren’t finalized but we will have partners that will be there at all points of deployment on the e-commerce side. We will have anchor tenants at all points on the e-commerce sides. That is the long term revenue generation. We are focused on the user session and satisfying the user so they will be a repeat customer and be exposed to other opportunities.
Interviewer: Is this the kind of business where you have to brand yourself? If so how do you do that? You mentioned the user experience.
William - From a branding standpoint where ever our units are placed the pricing will be fixed and the sessions will be the same. We think the consistency of the sessions is also important. We are happy to co-brand with our hosts and retail partners and put their name on the device.
Interviewer: As you look at capital. You recently raised capital through the Laurus Funds certainly a strong indorsement of your business model. How will you use the capital and how will this enable you to accelerate the deployment of the Webcenter 3000?
George - At the present time we are using the funding from Laurus and leasing funding. As we deploy the terminals we have commitments in the area of operating capital. As far as the terminals that cost will be covered for the immediate future by leasing capital packages. We expect in the not to distant future to be able to be self sustained.
Interviewer: As you look at the opportunities here. How much revenue do you anticipate the typical terminal might generate? Where do you deploy first?
William - We intend to put our terminals in locations that will generate no less than 1,000 dollars a month in gross revenue and our business model will support these numbers. That is why we are going into high traffic high density locations.
Interviewer: How do you differentiate yourself from others that support these services?
William - The device we installed in the San Francisco airport is durable and reliable. Our goal is to develop the best of the breed product. We don’t see any one device that is leading the pack as far as penetration in the markets we targeted. There are a few products out there like GET2NET , NETNEARU and Quortech that have similar featured products but I can’t attest to the reliability or revenue models on these devices. They are in the front of the fray as far as who will lead this pack
Interviewer: What should investors look for from the company in the coming quarters in terms of operating milestones?
William - The most visible milestones are the large anchor airport locations we will announce. Each airport is an anchor location which we cement that location by adding the local hotels and convention centers that surround it. We will announce our strategic partnerships/relationships in the coming quarter or two. In the next six to nine months a lot will be said. We have a lot of great news and partnerships to announce. Also strategic partnerships as well as airport location announcements will be coming shortly.
Interviewer: How much additional capital will you need to build out your business model?
William - We know with our minimum amount raised what our focused achievables and deliverables are and if we can go beyond that it will allow us to get into other opportunities that could involve partnering and acquisitions and accelerate our roll out.
George - At the present time we are targeting an additional 2 Million dollars. A portion of this will come through leasing and a portion will come through equity funding and that will bring us to the next level of our business plan. Which probably will bring us to the forth quarter of this year.
(OT) - Dennis I agree here is an example of what a stock can do with market acceptance.
http://chart.yahoo.com/d?s=dtgi.ob
IMO our time will come.
Take Care,
Greg
Dennis - Knowing Kelly he will close this deal as soon as humanly possible. I agree it will be interesting how the market values a company that will make over 5 Million this year with a 6 Million dollar float. Talk about a fireworks display LOL.
Take Care,
Greg
Hope all the silent GAMZ longs had a great 4th of July.
Take Care,
Greg
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY ALL EOM
Online travel, games stocks lead techs
By: Sergio G. Non
7/2/01 4:00 AM
Source: News.com
It's been a great first half for purveyors of tech-related leisure.
Travel Web sites and game software makers were among the best-performing tech and Internet stocks in the first six months of this year, according a CNET Investor survey of tech stocks. The dominance of entertainment and travel would be even more obvious if the tally didn't leave out the smallest stocks, which can generate huge returns on relatively tiny transactions.
But CNET's list excludes companies whose market value at the start of the year was below $177.9 million, which is the lowest capitalization for the current list of Russell 3000 stocks. Under that measuring stick, which whittles CNET's view to 690 companies, Priceline.com and Expedia were the sector's biggest winners for the first half of 2001; their stock prices picked up more than 500 percent and 380 percent, respectively, since 2000 ended.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was down 14 percent over the same period. The Russell 3000, one of the broadest measures of the U.S. stock market, fell almost 7 percent.
Also among the top 15 performers were Expedia rival Travelocity; 3D graphics chipmaker Nvidia; Activision, one of the top three publishers of game software; and Midway Games.
When including all tech-related stocks regardless of market capitalization, the leading performer is console game vendor Acclaim Entertainment, whose share price has increased more than 12-fold since the year began.
Expedia and its brethren are thriving because travel is one of the few e-commerce sectors that is making money, analysts said.
"Travelocity and Expedia are now showing a profit on a cash basis, so they've gone from concept to reality," said Robert Simonson, analyst with William Blair & Co. "And they did it about a year earlier than expected."
And the economic downturn of the past several months may have helped online travel agencies, analysts said. Business travel has diminished as companies try to cut costs, so airlines are trying to make up the lost business by offering cheaper tickets to consumers who flock to online Web sites to find deals, said Bob LaFleur, analyst with Bear Stearns. "It's really been sort of a harmonic convergence for these stocks," LaFleur said. "You should enjoy it while it lasts."
While online travel enjoyed the fruits of economic malaise, game software stocks surged this year as the latest generation of gaming consoles spread around the world.
Sony recovered from a rocky U.S. launch of PlayStation 2 last fall and now has an installed base in the double-digit millions. And analysts expect the holiday season to be particularly strong as Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube platforms are introduced. Nvidia, whose 3D technology is powering Xbox, has been a popular buy for stock traders looking for an Xbox investment play.
Other side of the coin
The biggest decliners of the year sit about as far from consumer entertainment as it gets: wholesale communications carriers, corporate e-mail service providers and e-commerce software vendors, among others.
360networks has lost 98 percent of its value since the year began, as the fiber-optic network operator has become a poster child for its industry's capacity glut. The company, which last week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has shed more than $10 billion of market capitalization since the start of 2001.
Other big falls came with Critical Path, Ariba and PurchasePro.com-- all companies that concentrate on the corporate market. Most of the decline in technology markets has come as corporations--which generate 80 percent of technology spending, according to IDC--delayed or canceled contracts.
Which makes consumer businesses such as online travel and games look even better. The steep gains enjoyed by online travel stocks means they're no longer bargains, LaFleur said. But the companies remain solid performers, he added.
"I wouldn't aggressively chase these (online travel) stocks at these prices," he said. "But I think you will continue to see these companies meet or exceed expectations, which is a lot more than you can say for most stocks these days.
http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-6417760-0.html?tag=pt.yahoo.fin..ne
Bull sector report about video game stocks
Well that's about it for this week. We have been very pleased with the recent moves we have been seeing in previously mentioned stocks like Integrated Devices (NasdaqNM:IDTI) and especially the 3DO Company (NasdaqNM:THDO) our Video Game Sector pick which was up over 40% on Friday. If nothing else the Video Gaming stocks should prove to investors that momentum stock investing has not completely gone out of vogue.
http://www.bullsector.com/videogames.html
http://www.bullsector.com/weeklyupdateFeb25th,2001.htm
Greg
ETPI's Letter of Intent that their lawsuit against Gamecom/Ferris is based. Gamecom has filed a countersuit and sanctions against ETPI.
Exhibit A. (Letter of Intent - All Sections)
[Portions of Emphasis by ztect]
Entertainment Technologies & Programs
16055 Space Center Blvd, Suite 230
Houston, TX 77062
Phone (281)486-6115- Fax (281)486-6155
email: ETPNlife@Aol.com
March 9,2000
Mr. Bob Ferris
Chief Executive Officer
Ferris Productions, Inc.
4844 South 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85040
RE: Acquisition of the Assets of Ferris Productions, Inc.
Dear Mr. Ferris:
This letter of intent (the "Letter of Intent") is intended to set forth the principles and terms conditions upon which Entertainment Technologies & Programs, Inc., a Delaware corporation ( the "Purchaser"), shall have the right to acquire substantially all of the assets of Ferris Productions, a Delaware Corporation (the "Seller").
It is intended that the terms and conditions of the proposed acquisition (the "Acquisition") will be set forth in a definitive acquisition agreement among the Purchaser and the Seller (the "Definitive Agreement"). In general, it is our intent that you will continue to manage the assets and the business of the Seller in the position of President of a to-be-formed wholly owned subsidiary (the "Subsidiary") of the Purchaser and will maintain full profit and loss responsibility for the operations thereof. In the interim, we would like to confirm our agreement in principle with you as follows:
1. Structure of the Acquisition. The Acquisition shall be structured as an asset purchase pursuant to which the Purchaser shall have the right tot acquire from Seller substantially all the tangible assets (incluidng the intellectual property) of the Seller used and useful in the operation of the Seller's business (the "Assets") in exchange for cash. The purchase price to be paid by the Purchaser in cash and shall be equal to the amount of the existing liabilities of the company (excluding normal and customary trade payables which the Purchaser intends to assume) at the time o f closing (as defined in section 2 below), but in no event, shall the amount of cash paid exceed Four Million, Seven Hundred Eighty-Five Thousand Two Hundred Seventy Nine Dollars ($4,785,279) ( the "Purchase Price"). Seller shall retain all debts and liabilities associated with the Assets and the operation of the Seller's business and the Purchaser shall not assume any debts or liabilities of Seller except for those debts expressly agreed to pursuant to its plan of restructuring of certain of the Seller's debt and lease obligations and those contracts of Seller expressly assumed in writing by Purchases.
In addition, the Purchaser shall pay to the Seller a Performance Bonus consisting of a number of shares of its commonstock based on the average closing price per share for the first 20 trading days of calendar years 2002, whose maximum value in the aggregate is no greater than Four Million Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($4,800,000). the payment of the Performance Bonus will be subject to the achievement of certain financial objectives as outlined below.
(a) For purposes of determining performance against the financial objectives, for the year ending December 31, 2001 (inclusive of the financial performance of the Seller from January 1,2001 until the Closing) (the "Performance Period'), the subsidiary must achieve no less than Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000) in EBIDTA) defined as earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization and any management or like fees imposed on it by the Purchaser) (the "Base EBITDA"). The financial goal of the Subsidiary for the Performance Period is One Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,200,000) (the " EBITDA Goal"). The difference between the EBIDTA Goal and the Base EBITDA, or Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000) is considered the EBIDTA Measure.
(b) The Performance Bonus earned by the Seller will be determined based on the percentage of the EBITDA Measure earned by the Subsidiary during the Performance Period. The following table provides an example of the is calculation:
[Table not provided. Basically if Ferris earns $800K (EBITDA) or less this 2001 yr, Ferris doesn't get any shares or the"performance bonus". If Ferris makes $1.2 Mill (EBIDTA) or more, Ferris gets entire $4.8 mill bonus in shares of ETPI but not more than $4.8 mill worth of ETPI shares. If Ferris makes betw $800K and $1.2 mill, the fraction or percentage of the $400k determines how much of the Performance Bonus Ferris receives. E.g. Ferris earns $1.1 mill or 3/4 of $400 gap, then Ferris gets 3/4 of bonus.]
2. Conditions The terms and provisions governing the Acquisition are subject in all respects to and shall be contained in the Definitive Agreement , which shall be negotiated in good faith and contain standard representations, warranties, conditions, indemnification’s and certain affirmative and negative covenants customary to an acquisition transaction such as the Acquisition. It is contemplated that the closing of the Acquisition (the "Closing") shall occur subsequent to the execution of and shall be set forth in the Definitive Agreement. In furtherance thereof , the parties shall use their best efforts to cause the Definitive Agreement to be prepared in final form, to have been submitted for all necessary governmental and corporate actions and approvals, and to have been executed and delivered prior to Closing. The Closing shall occur on or before June 30, 2001 and be subject to satisfaction of the following conditions, which shall be embodied in the Definitive Agreement:
(a) the Purchaser, shall have received the audited consolidated financial statements of the Seller as of the most recent two fiscal year ends with an unqualified "clean" opinion thereon of its auditors ( the "Audited Statements"), interim unaudited financial statements through the most recent fiscal quarter and monthly financial statement of the Seller for each month thereafter until the Closing, and such financial statements shall be true, complete and correct in all material respects and the inventory and receivables therein fairly stated;
(b) the Audited Statements shall not reflect any material adverse change in the results of operations and the financial condition of the Seller as compared to the results of operations and financial conditions of the Seller as reflected in the unaudited financial statements of the Seller previously provided;
(c) each of the Purchaser, on the one hand, and the Seller and on the Stockholder, on the other hand, shall be satisfied with the results of their due diligence investigations of the Seller;
(d) as stated above, all necessary approvals and consents shall have been obtained and delivered including, without limitation, the consent of any federal, state, municipal or other governing body having authority over the Purchaser or the Seller (or their respective businesses) and the
consent of the stockholders of any of the foregoing to the extent required by applicable laws, rules or regulations;
(e)there shall have been no significant change in senior management of the Seller after the date hereof without the consent of the Purchaser; and
(f) Purchaser and certain key employees of the Seller, determined by the Purchaser, including but not limited to Bob Ferris, the president of the Seller, will have entered into employment agreements.
3. Negotiations. From the date hereof through the execution of a definitive agreement, neither the Purchaser, the Seller nor the directors, officers, agents or advisors of any of them shall negotiate, or directly or indirectly solicit, or propose to enter into, or continue any negotiations, or enter into any agreements or understandings with any party which provide for or relate to the disposition of a substantial interest therein, or the sale, transfer or other distribution of a substantial portion of the capital stock or assets thereof unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Purchaser. Each party agrees to proceed expeditiously and to negotiate in good faith to reach a Definitive Agreement on the terms outlined herein. the parties hereby acknowledge that time is of the essence and that each of the Purchaser and the Seller will devote valuable and considerable efforts, time and resources in the due diligence review and analysis of the business of one another (including, but not limited to accountants, attorneys and advisors fees).
4. Expenses. Each party hereto shall bear its own legal, accounting and other fees and expenses incident to the Acquisition contemplated herein, unless expressly otherwise indicated in the Letter of Intent; provided, however should the Seller not consummate the Acquisition through (i) no default of the Purchaser as it relates to its compliance with the terms and conditions outlined in this Letter of Intent and to be outlined in the Definitive Agreement, or (ii)a material breach of the terms and conditions outlined in this Letter of Intent and to be outlined in the Definitive Agreement by the Seller or (iii) its due diligence investigations the Purchaser discovers any material misrepresentations of the financial or physical condition of the Assets or the terms, conditions and amounts of liabilities associated therewith, the Seller will reimburse the Purchaser only for its hard costs incurred up until and including such time, for procurements of the Audited Statements, so long as such reimbursement from the Seller to the Purchaser does not exceed Thirty Thousands Dollars ($35,000). Upon immediate reimbursement of the hard costs incurred in the procurement of the Audited Statements, the Purchaser shall be required to provide the Seller with the Audited Statements at which time the Seller will become the owner thereof. in the event the Seller chooses not to proceed with the Acquisition pursuant to either (i),(ii) or (iii) above, and the Audited Statements have not been completed, upon reimbursement of the hard costs incurred to up until and including such time by the Seller to the Purchaser, the Purchaser will inform its accountants in writing that the Seller will assume ownership of the Audited Statements and shall be legally responsible for any expenses incurred from that point forward for any continued work performed by the accountants in the production of Audited Statements
5. Access to Information: Confidentiality.Each of the Purchaser, the Seller and their respective agents (including, but not limited to attorneys, accountants, investments bankers and lenders) will be entitled to conduct such legal, accounting, and business investigations and analyses of the Seller and the Purchaser as each party shall deem appropriate. In connection therewith, each of the Seller and the Purchaser shall deem appropriate. In connection therewith, each of the Seller and the Purchaser shall afford the other parties an their respective agents reasonable access upon reasonable notice previously given to the books and the records of the Seller and the Purchaser, as well as its employees, customers, and distributors. Such information will be used only for purpose reasonably related to the transaction contemplated hereby. In the event that the parties do not execute a Definitive Agreement as provided herein, upon termination of the Letter of Intent, each party shall use all reasonable efforts to return upon request to the other party all documents (and reproduction thereof) received from such other party (and, in the case of reproductions, all such reproductions made by the receiving party) that include non-public information, unless otherwise agreed to in writing. In addition, the parties hereto agree to hold in confidence all the information about the business of the other learned or discovered during the course of negotiations. The timing and contents of any announcements, press releases, or other public statements concerning the proposed transactions and related matters will occur upon, and be determined by, mutual agreement and consent of the parties. Each of the parties agrees to cooperate on any such announcement, press release or other public statement, or any communication to Stockholder, and on any discussions with regulatory agencies concerning this Letter of Intent or transactionscontemplated hereby.
6. Certain Representations. Each of the Purchaser and the Seller hereby represents and warrants to the other that: (a) such party has the legal right, power and authority to enter into this Letter of Intent and consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; (b) this Letter of Intent represents the legal, valid and binding agreement of such party, enforceable in accordance with its terms ; (c) all written information concerning such party provided tot he other party hereto is true and correct in all material respects.
7. Legal Effect, Binding Provisions. It is understood that the Letter of Intent is an expression of intent only, and while the parties hereby agree in principle to the contents here of and agree to negotiate in good faith the details of the transaction, none of the parties has any legal obligation to the other(s) as a result of this Letter of Intent other than those obligations specified and imposed by this section and by Sections 4 through 10 which, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, constitute binding agreements. Accordingly, except as set forth in the preceding sentence the provisions of the Letter of Intent do NOT constitute binding agreements. The signing of this Letter of Intent does not foreclose any party from raising additional issues within the scope of the transactions contemplated herein prior to execution of the Definitive Agreement. The terms of this Letter of Intent are not terms of limitation and the parties may add, modify or change the terms pursuant to execution of the Definitive Agreement
8. Duration. This Letter of Intent shall remain in effect from the date hereof through the earlier of June 30, 2001 or the execution of the Definitive Agreement unless extended by mutual agreement of the parties hereto and provided however, that Sections 4 through 10 shall survive termination.
9. Governing Law The provisions of this Letter of Intent shall be governed by and construed in accordance with laws of the State of Delaware.
10. Jurisdiction; Services of Process Any action or proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any right rising out of, this Letter of Intent may be brought against any of the parties hereto in the courts of the State of Texas, County of Harris, or, if it has or can acquire jurisdiction, in the United States District Court, and each of the parties hereto consents to the jurisdiction of such courts (and of the appropriate appellate courts) in any such action or the proceeding and waives objection to venue laid therein. Process in any action or proceeding referred to in the proceeding sentence may be served on any party hereto anywhere in the world.
11. [No Section #11]
12. Termination; no Liability. This Letter of Intent may be terminated by any party hereto at any time and without further obligation to the other parties, if the Definitive Agreement has not been entered into by June 30, 2001. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, however, the mutual covenants and agreements of the parties hereto expressed in the binding provisions hereof shall be legally binding whether or not the Definitive Agreement is executed and whether or not the Acquisition is consummated. Moreover, except as expressly provided in the binding provisions (or as expressly provided in any binding written agreement that the parties hereto may enter into in the future), no past or future action, course of conduct, or failure to act relating to the Acquisition, or relating to the negotiation of the terms of the Acquisition or any definitive agreement will give rise to or serve as a basis for any obligation or other liability on the part of the parties hereto.
13. Counterparts. This Letter of Intent may be executed by the parties hereto in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
Gamecom Pleadings to ETPI Lawsuit.
cause number 2001-21184
ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF
& PROGRAMS, INC.,
plaintiff,
v. HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS
FERRIS PRODUCTIONS, INC. and
GAMECOM, INC.,
defendants. 215th JUDICIAL DISTRICT
ORIGINAL ANSWER AND COUNTERCLAIM OF GAMECOM, INC.
TO THE HONORABLE JUDGE OF SAID COURT:
COMES NOW GameCom, Inc. (“GameCom”) and files this original answer and counterclaim, and in support would respectfully show the court as follows:
GENERAL DENIAL
GameCom denies each and every allegation contained in the original petition and application for temporary injunction of Entertainment Technologies & Programs, Inc. (“Plaintiff”), and demands strict proof of each element of Plaintiff’s claims by a preponderance of the evidence.
AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES
By way of further pleading, GameCom would show that Plaintiff’s claims are barred by the affirmative defenses of fraud, estoppel, justification, and unclean hands.
COUNTERCLAIM
GameCom files this counterclaim complaining of Plaintiff, and would show the court the following:
Discovery Level
Discovery in this action will be conducted under level two of Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 190.
Parties
GameCom is a Texas corporation with its principal place of business in Tarrant County, Texas. Plaintiff, Entertainment Technologies & Programs, Inc. is the counter-defendant and is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Houston, Harris County, Texas. Plaintiff has appeared in this lawsuit and may be served with this counterclaim pursuant to Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21a.
Count One-Tortious Interference with Contract
Plaintiff, by bringing this lawsuit and/or by continuing to prosecute this lawsuit, is interfering with legitimate contract rights of GameCom and Ferris Productions, Inc. (“Ferris”). Specifically, GameCom and Ferris entered into a agreement of merger on May 3, 2001 (the “Contract”). GameCom and Ferris had previously announced on April 18, 2001, the execution of a letter of intent to conclude this merger. Plaintiff had full knowledge of this letter of intent and prospective definitive agreement of merger when it filed this lawsuit on April 23, 2001. Plaintiff’s conduct in this lawsuit, including , but not limited to, its failure to prosecute to fruition its application for temporary injunction, constitutes a willful and intentional act of interference with the Contract. GameCom would further assert that Plaintiff’s sole intent in filing this lawsuit was to interfere with the Contract and cause harm to both GameCom and Ferris. As a result, GameCom has suffered and will continue to suffer actual damages far in excess of the minimum jurisdictional limits of this court.
Plaintiff’s conduct in this matter has been intentional, willful, and malicious, and GameCom is entitled to an award of exemplary damages as a result.
Count Two-Frivolous Lawsuit
Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 13 (“Rule 13”), and under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 10 (“Chapter 10”), the claims against GameCom in Plaintiff’s original petition are groundless in law and fact, and are brought for the improper purpose of harassing GameCom and interfering with the Contract.
On April 24, 2001, the chief executive officer of GameCom, L. Kelly Jones, forwarded a letter to Plaintiff’s counsel detailing the events about which Plaintiff now complains. A true and correct copy of the April 24th correspondence is attached as exhibit “a” and is incorporated into this counterclaim for all intents and purposes as if fully set forth at length verbatim.
Further, GameCom later agreed to produce its chief executive officer, L. Kelly Jones for deposition on Tuesday, May 8, 2001. That same day, Plaintiff deposed the president of Ferris, Bob Ferris. These are the only two individuals with personal knowledge concerning the negotiations between GameCom and Ferris surrounding the Contract. Despite taking these depositions and receiving documents supporting the sworn testimony of these two individuals, Plaintiff has continued to refuse to dismiss the allegations brought against GameCom in this matter.
Upon conclusion of those depositions, on May 9, 2001, counsel for GameCom forwarded to counsel for Plaintiff yet another written request that this lawsuit be dismissed. A true and correct copy of the May 9th correspondence is attached as exhibit “b” and is incorporated into this counterclaim for all intents and purposes as if fully set forth at length verbatim. Counsel for Plaintiff has been provided facts that conclusively demonstrate the Plaintiff’s claims are meritless in fact, as well as controlling precedent demonstrating that Plaintiff’s claims are groundless in law. Plaintiff has been given every opportunity to withdraw this frivolous lawsuit, but has chosen not to do so.
Under Rule 13 and Chapter 10, an attorney’s signature certifies that the pleading is neither (1) groundless and brought in bad faith, nor (2) groundless and brought for purposes of harassment. Groundless means that there is no basis in law or fact for the pleading, and it is not warranted by a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. It is apparent from Plaintiff’s conduct in this matter that Plaintiff understands that its claims are groundless in both law and fact. It is further apparent from Plaintiff’s conduct that this lawsuit has been brought for the sole purpose to harass GameCom and interfere with the Contract. Accordingly, GameCom requests that the court sanction Plaintiff and its counsel in the form of awarding GameCom its reasonable and necessary attorneys’ fees incurred in defending this frivolous lawsuit.
Prayer
GameCom respectfully requests that the court:
enter judgment that Plaintiff take nothing by way of its claims against GameCom;
award GameCom its reasonable and necessary attorneys’ fees incurred in the defense of this frivolous action;
enter judgment against Plaintiff for actual damages in excess of the minimum jurisdictional limits of this court on GameCom’s counterclaim for tortious interference;
enter judgment against Plaintiff for exemplary damages in an amount to be determined by the trier of fact on GameCom’s counterclaim for tortious interference with Contract;
enter judgment in favor of GameCom for all costs of suit; and
award GameCom any such further relief to which it is justly entitled.
Respectfully submitted,
JONES & CANNON,
a professional corporation
by: ________________________________
Bryan Cannon
Texas Bar No. 03744300
Michael Hassett
Texas Bar No. 00796722
440 North Center
Arlington, Texas 76010
metro (817) 265-0440
telecopier (817) 265-1440
ATTORNEYS FOR GAMECOM, INC.
Certificate of Service
The undersigned certifies that a true and correct photocopy of the foregoing instrument was served upon the attorneys of record of all parties to the above cause in accordance with Rule 21a, Texas Rules and Civil Procedure, on this _______ day of May, 2001.
____________________________________
J597-14answer.GameCom
April 24, 2001
VIA TELECOPIER (713) 647-7512
and
CERTIFIED MAIL 7000-1670-0006-5977-3132
-RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
Mr. Mark C. Harwell
Cotham, Harwell & Evans
West Memorial Park
8550 Katy Freeway, suite 128
Houston, Texas 77024
re: cause number 2001-21184; Entertainment Technologies &
Programs, Inc. v. Ferris Productions, Inc. and GameCom, Inc.
Dear Mr. Harwell:
I am in receipt of a courtesy copy of your original petition in the above-referenced proceeding, as well as your motion for accelerated discovery, request for emergency hearing, and proposed order granting motion for accelerated discovery.
I most respectfully request that you dismiss this litigation before GameCom suffers further damages brought by this frivolous and meritless lawsuit. In all due respect, Mr. Harwell, have you done any investigation prior to signing these pleadings?
When I, in my role as chief executive officer of GameCom, Inc., was advised that Mr. Doug Butcher, chief executive officer of Entertainment Technologies & Programs, Inc. (“ETPI”), was threatening litigation against GameCom due to allegations such as “Ferris shopping his deal” and “GameCom outbidding ETPI for Ferris”, and threatening a suit for tortious interference with contractual relations against GameCom, I called Mr. Butcher from New York City in order to 1) apprise him of the true facts surrounding GameCom’s and Ferris’ negotiations, and 2) offer GameCom’s assistance in any way that it could for ETPI to put a positive spin on these developments. When I identified myself to Mr. Butcher, he hung up on me. Thus, I can only assume, by Mr. Butcher’s reaction and your signature to these pleadings, that ETPI and its counsel would rather shoot first and ask questions later.
Mr. Harwell, are you seriously seeking specific performance and asking this court to order Ferris Productions, Inc. (“Ferris”), whom you have sued for fraud, to “negotiate the details of a purchase agreement with ETPI, in good faith,” until June 30, 2001?
The simple truth of the matter is that I did not know the terms of the proposed ETPI/Ferris transaction until yesterday, when I for the first time saw the ETPI/Ferris letter of intent (the “ETPI LOI”).
Further, without intending to be disrespectful, inciting, or flippant, have you carefully read the ETPI LOI? In your lawsuit, you claim that Ferris breached a duty to negotiate solely with ETPI. Please note that this “obligation” is contained within paragraph three of the ETPI LOI. This provision is specifically non-binding. I call your particular attention to paragraph seven of the ETPI LOI, which states in pertinent part as follows:
It is understood that this Letter of Intent is an expression of intent only, and while the parties hereby agree in principle to the contents hereof and agree to negotiate in good faith the details of the transaction, none of the parties has any legal obligation to the other(s) as a result of this Letter of Intent other than those obligations specified and imposed by this section and by Sections 4 through 10, which, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, constitute binding agreements. Accordingly, except as set forth in the preceding sentence, the provisions of this Letter of Intent do not constitute binding agreements.
(emphasis added).
With regard to your tortious interference allegations, unless I am sadly mistaken, there is no definitive agreement or contract between ETPI and Ferris to be interfered with. It seems only elementary to me that an essential element of such a cause of action would require a binding obligation, and the terms of the ETPI LOI are expressly to the contrary.
Second, as far as interfering with the ETPI “contract” to acquire Ferris, please allow me to repeat that until yesterday, when you attached a photocopy of the ETPI LOI to your pleadings faxed to my office, neither GameCom’s officers nor directors were aware of the terms of the proposed ETPI/Ferris transaction, nor had they seen the ETPI LOI. Contrary to Mr. Butcher’s concerns, there was never any comparison by GameCom of ETPI’s proposal versus that of GameCom.
The simple truth of the matter, which Mr. Butcher chose not to hear prior to filing this suit, was that GameCom approached Mr. Bob Ferris (Ferris did not approach GameCom), and was advised that the ETPI LOI was non-exclusive. While I readily admit that GameCom and Ferris representatives discussed what Ferris desired from a public partner and hoped to achieve through merging with a public entity, and parameters of a possible acquisition by GameCom, no letter of intent by GameCom to acquire Ferris was forwarded to Ferris until after GameCom was advised by Ferris’ counsel that the ETPI LOI was terminated. Hardly “tortious interference.”
Finally, let’s take a careful look at which company has interfered with whom. I am attaching a photocopy of post number 8037 on Raging Bull’s message board for GameCom, and you will quickly see that ETPI’s head of investor relations posted last night on GameCom’s message board, suggesting that GameCom’s shareholders should invest in ETPI! “Tonight I want to encourage you guys to take a look at ETPI as an investment.” Don’t you believe it will be just a wee bit difficult to claim clean hands with the court as you begin this equitable proceeding?
Again, I respectfully request that you carefully review the ETPI LOI, consider the applicable facts, and your signature to these pleadings, and I urge you to withdraw this petition. If you choose not to do so, I can personally assure you that GameCom will vigorously deny the merits of your allegations, will counterclaim against ETPI to the full extent of GameCom’s damages, and will settle the matter only after GameCom has been paid its full measure of damages which it most certainly will endure by your continuation of this frivolous litigation.
Very truly yours,
L. Kelly Jones
LKJ/kb
J597
enclosure
cc: Bob Ferris, president
Ferris Productions, Inc.
Mr. Todd M. Johnson
Titus, Breuckner & Berry
John F. Aleckner, Jr., director
GameCom, Inc.
W. James Poynter, director
GameCom, Inc.
Mr. Bryan Cannon (of the firm)
May 9, 2001
VIA TELECOPIER (713) 647-7512
Mr. Mark C. Harwell
Cotham, Harwell & Evans
West Memorial Park
8550 Katy Freeway, suite 128
Houston, Texas 77024
re: cause number 2001-21184; Entertainment Technologies &
Programs, Inc. v. Ferris Productions, Inc. and GameCom, Inc.
Dear Mr. Harwell:
I must express my disappointment at the apparent lack of desire on the part of Entertainment Technologies & Programs, Inc. (“ETPI”) to resolve the above-referenced matter expeditiously and equitably.
Now that you have had the opportunity to take the depositions of the chief executive officer of GameCom, Inc. (“GameCom”) and the president of Ferris Productions, Inc. (“Ferris”), I trust that you recognize that these two gentlemen are the only two witnesses with personal knowledge of the negotiations between Ferris and GameCom that ultimately culminated in the agreement of merger between the two entities. Simply stated, I do not believe ETPI can put forward any evidence to dispute the truthful deposition testimony of Mr. Ferris and Mr. Jones.
It should be obvious to your client by now that GameCom did not “tortiously interfere” with the ETPI letter of intent to acquire Ferris (the “ETPI LOI”). As both Mr. Ferris and Mr. Jones testified, GameCom was early and repeatedly assured that the ETPI LOI was non-binding and non-exclusive. The claims that ETPI has asserted against GameCom will fail because (1) no binding contract existed between ETPI and Ferris, and (2) no willful or intentional act of interference with a contract was committed by GameCom.
Further, the claims that ETPI has asserted against Ferris are groundless in both fact and law. As Mr. Ferris testified, ETPI breached material terms of the ETPI LOI prior to Ferris making the decision to terminate the ETPI LOI. Further, Ferris rightfully believed that the conduct of ETPI and statements made by Mr. Doug Butcher, chief executive officer of ETPI, indicated an intent on the part of ETPI not to consummate the transaction spelled out in the ETPI LOI. In other words, Ferris justifiably believed and anticipated a future breach of the ETPI LOI weeks before Ferris actually terminated the ETPI LOI.
In addition, I am enclosing for your review the case of John Wood Group USA, Inc. v. ICO, Inc,. 26 S.W.3d 12 (Tex. App. - Houston [1st Dist.] 2000, pet. denied). In this case, Chief Justice Schneider refused to enforce a letter of intent for the sale of a business where the parties had expressly stated their intention not to be bound to certain terms and conditions related to the sale. In doing so, the Chief Justice found that the phrase “not binding” as used in that letter agreement was clear and definite, and meant simply, not binding. In addition, the Chief Justice found that an agreement to do nothing more than negotiate in the future is unenforceable as a matter of law, even if the agreement calls for a “good faith effort.” Finally, the Chief Justice noted in this case that, even though there was a binding exclusivity of negotiations provision contained within the letter of intent, a breach of that provision could not support an award of benefit-of-the-bargain-type damages.
In light of this controlling precedent, all of the relief requested by ETPI in its original petition is barred as a matter of law. In light of the law and the sworn testimony referred to above, I can only conclude that ETPI is continuing to prosecute this case in bad faith and for the sole purpose to harass GameCom and Ferris and to interfere with the existing contract between GameCom and Ferris.
Accordingly, please consider this letter to be GameCom’s final demand that this lawsuit be dismissed with prejudice immediately. In the event ETPI chooses to ignore this demand, GameCom intends to file a counterclaim against ETPI for tortious interference with the contract between GameCom and Ferris. Damages sustained by GameCom as a result of this interference will likely exceed $10,000,000.00. Any counterclaim filed by GameCom will also include a request that the court determine that this lawsuit is frivolous, groundless, and brought in bad faith in violation of Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 13 and Chapter 10 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code.
I sincerely hope that you do not put me in the position to recommend that GameCom bring litigation of that scope.
Please advise immediately if ETPI wishes to resolve this matter amicably.
Very truly yours,
Michael Hassett
MH/trr
J597-07ltrtoMCH5-10
enclosure
cc: Bob Ferris, president
Ferris Productions, Inc.
L. Kelly Jones, chief executive officer
GameCom, Inc.
ICOA's CEO and President of WebCenter Technologies, Inc. Are Featured on CEOcast.com
WARWICK, R.I., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- ICOA, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: ICOA - news), announced today that Chairman and CEO, George Strouthopoulos of ICOA, Inc. and William Lord, President of WebCenter Technologies, Inc. were featured in an in depth interview with a leading online investor program CEOCAST.
Topics of discussion included: the company's growth trends, a review of company's markets and services, and its differentiating qualities.
Company recently has announced contracts with major US Airports, SFO; San Francisco and LAX; Los Angeles and is currently doing the installations.
About ICOA
ICOA, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary WebCenter Technologies, Inc., deploys and operates an automated network of Internet Pay Phone terminals with video advertising displays. The Company has deployed a managed network to provide telecommunications, business, and e-commerce services via these terminals. These services include communication services such as telephone, e-mail, and e-fax; and business services such as printing; and e-commerce services, including advertising, shopping and bill paying.
About CEOCAST
CEOcast, Inc. (www.ceocast.com) is a leading source of original and syndicated broadcast interviews with chief executive officers at news-making companies. CEOcast's information is made available to buy-side analysts and portfolio managers at more than 3,600 institutions, and close to 300,000 registered biotechnology and pharmaceutical investors. Its programming is distributed to online investors at more than 700 financial Web sites.
SOURCE: ICOA, Inc.
Link to webcast you will need to register for free to access the interview.
http://www.ceocast.com/company.cfm?cid=8808&n=073114
I changed the logo on the website and expanded the width so it will fill the screen. It kind of jumps out at you check it out.
http://www16.brinkster.com/gemmerling/gamz.html
Greg
Dennis,
Kelly has sent me some e-mail that said some good things about Bob Ferris as well. I look forward to meeting him someday.
Here is one of his statements about Bob "The more I get to know Bob Ferris and the company's people and products, the more I like the deal."
Take Care,
Greg
Dennis - Thanks for sharing Kelly's e-mail sounds great. I guess some things are worth waiting for:)
Take Care,
Greg
ICOA Taps Laurus Funds for Follow on Financing
WARWICK, R.I., Jun 27, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- ICOA, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ICOA), announced today that it has received second round institutional financing from the Laurus Family of Funds. The funding consists of $400,000 of convertible notes and related warrants.
"We are very pleased with this financing provided by the Laurus Family of Funds," noted George Strouthopoulos, CEO, ICOA. "It is an indication of their ongoing confidence in our management team and business model. This funding will allow us to continue our aggressive business strategy to build a national network of Public Internet Terminals. We are pleased to establish a relationship with a strong institutional investor that has the ability to help ICOA meet its working capital needs on a long-term basis."
"The quality of the ICOA management team combined with the long-term potential of the WebCenter 3000(TM) Automated Network of Internet Terminals, presents a tremendous growth opportunity for Laurus Funds," said David Grin, Fund Manager for Laurus. "As with all Laurus investments we are planning for a long-term relationship by providing ICOA with the financial support necessary to meet its current and future objectives."
About ICOA
ICOA, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary WebCenter Technologies, Inc., deploys and operates an automated network of Internet Pay Phone terminals with video advertising displays. The Company has deployed a managed network to provide telecommunications, business, and e-commerce services via these terminals. These services include communication services such as telephone, e-mail, and e-fax; and business services such as printing; and e-commerce services, including advertising, shopping and bill paying.
About Laurus Funds
Laurus is a private equity fund, based in New York City, which specializes in providing financing to growing small- and mid-capitalization companies.
MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X27362468
SOURCE ICOA, Inc.
CONTACT: George Strouthopoulos of ICOA, Inc., 800-336-5837
(ICOA)
http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright (C) 2001 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
-0-
KEYWORD: Rhode Island
New York
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MLM
TLS
ECM
OTC
SUBJECT CODE: FNC
OTC
Ferris technology sounds impressive and adaptive to any virtual reality environment.
Capabilities
Integrating the most recent developments in technology, Ferris has become the experts for proficient turnkey virtual reality and advanced "high-tech" system solutions. This includes providing multiple entertaining experiences on a single system, plus having the ability to customize our software for your specific needs.
For example, we could create an experience that may incorporate a sporting simulation, a travel through space, an underwater adventure or anything else imaginable. Alternatively, we could utilize one of our existing experiences and create a logo screen, header or trailer (like used at movies) for promotional use, advertising or other purposes.
Ferris continues to provide a full range of integrated technology components and systems for specific applications. As a Ferris design trait, our systems allow for network capability, new or additional software content to be incorporated for future application and modular design for upgrade capability.
Real Life VR - A 360 degree filmed video panoramic environment. See, hear and smell in an world with true film reality, that may also integrate computer generated graphics and special effects. Ferris Productions offer the widest product mix of VR systems in the world
http://www.ferrisvr.com/html/CS_Capabilities.html
Greg
Dennis,
I believe the merger will happen it was referred to as academic at this point by Kelly in the interview today. I believe the proxy is in GAMZ SEC attornies hands now. I hope with get it within the new few weeks.
Take Care,
Greg
Kelly GAMZ CEO was just interviewed today on the Taxin Network.
Highlights of the interview.
1.Interactive Computer gaming industry and the sector that GAMZ is pursuing Per-per-use will see a 10 fold increase over the next five years to 1 Billion dollars according to Forrester Research.
2.Ferris is described as the largest virtual reality company in the world. The virtual reality test drive ride they did for Buick last year was well received and gave their technology a lot of exposure and set the stage for future contracts with other companies.
3.Kelly said it would be a major disappointment if they didn’t apply for listing on a major exchange this time next year.
4.After the merger the combined company should produce 5 million in 2001 and 9 to 11 million in 2002. In 2002 they should have substantial revenues and no-debt. They should also be profitable by the end of 2001.
5.The Red Barron virtual reality ride that is currently being produced will be filmed in a biplane.
6.The next project is with a Major Auto Manufacture and will involve down hill skiing and will be used for the Olympics.
7.The company is currently talking to museums and currently trying to promote the technology as an alternative to the IMAX Theater.
Greg
Kelly GAMZ CEO was just interviewed today on the Taxin Network.
Highlights of the interview.
1.Interactive Computer gaming industry and the sector that GAMZ is pursuing Per-per-use will see a 10 fold increase over the next five years to 1 Billion dollars according to Forrester Research.
2.Ferris is described as the largest virtual reality company in the world. The virtual reality test drive ride they did for Buick last year was well received and gave their technology a lot of exposure and set the stage for future contracts with other companies.
3.Kelly said it would be a major disappointment if they didn’t apply for listing on a major exchange this time next year.
4.After the merger the combined company should produce 5 million in 2001 and 9 to 11 million in 2002. In 2002 they should have substantial revenues and no-debt. They should also be profitable by the end of 2001.
5.The Red Barron virtual reality ride that is currently being produced will be filmed in a biplane.
6.The next project is with a Major Auto Manufacture and will involve down hill skiing and will be used for the Olympics.
7.The company is currently talking to museums and currently trying to promote the technology as an alternative to the IMAX Theater.
Greg
Kelly was just interviewed today on the Taxin Network.
Highlights of the interview.
1.Interactive Computer gaming industry and the sector that GAMZ is pursuing Per-per-use will see a 10 fold increase over the next five years to 1 Billion dollars according to Forrester Research.
2.Ferris is described as the largest virtual reality company in the world. The virtual reality test drive ride they did for Buick last year was well received and gave their technology a lot of exposure and set the stage for future contracts with other companies.
3.Kelly said it would be a major disappointment if they didn’t apply for listing on a major exchange this time next year.
4.After the merger the combined company should produce 5 million in 2001 and 9 to 11 million in 2002. In 2002 they should have substantial revenues and no-debt. They should also be profitable by the end of 2001.
5.The Red Barron virtual reality ride that is currently being produced will be filmed in a biplane.
6.The next project is with a Major Auto Manufacture and will involve down hill skiing and will be used for the Olympics.
7.The company is currently talking to museums and currently trying to promote the technology as an alternative to the IMAX Theater.
Greg
Paintermon and Dennis way to go I hope you guys found the bottom. I hope that after shareholder approval of the Ferris deal more investors will take interest in the stock.
Take Care,
Greg
E2 Keynote Transcript Part Four
JT:
Is there anything you see in the market right now
that looks like it is beginning to be a killer app or
is a model that the market is likely to go towards?
RB:
I think the exciting thing for me right now is the
things people are doing around community. The
things people are doing to create these types of
games that evolve and where people feel like they
have a role. You see people in the PC world
playing role playing games and I think that as we
get into the console genres you are going to see
other types of things that grow from that concept.
In different genres, but the idea that community is
essential to an online game is going to be the first
place that people explore because it is the thing
that captures people's attention, and it is the thing
that brings people back.
JT:
Kazuo, why don't you talk about what you view
as the key governor to growth in terms of this
segment of the market expanding, and also if you
could touch on some of things that Sony has that
you can bring in, other entertainment related things
that you can bring in.
RB:
There are several factors that are going to be
driving the growth in the area of online interactive
entertainment. One of them is the infrastructure
and the move to broadband which I think is going
to revolutionize the content and entertainment
experience that people can get on an online
environment, so that is certainly one aspect that
we are looking very closely at to see what kind of
penetration that broadband can achieve in this
market. On the software side, I think it very
important for us to remember that the online
experience as Robbie said, the community
experience is an important fact, but at the same
time it should be an extension of the kind of
compelling entertainment that people have come
to expect and love through the offline
environment. It really should be a natural
extension of the offline environment into an online
environment, done in a very seamless and point
and click fashion. One of things that we are
focusing on is looking at the really powerful and
popular franchises that we have on the Playstation
and the Playstation 2 and saying, okay. Which of
these makes sense to take the experience to the
online environment so that it is a seamless
extension of that software experience. From a
consumer standpoint, we believe that it is really
important for the consumers to have that seamless
point and click, because if we are not able to
deliver that kind of easy experience at the
beginning then I think that a lot of consumers may
be turned off, and so we are focusing our energies
to make sure that transition is a very seamless and
a very simple one so we don't lose consumers
when they are interested in the online
environment.
JT:
Peter. You guys are in show me mode in online at
least as it relates to now. What do you think is the
holy grail and when do you think we are going to
see Nintendo show up in size here?
PM:
I think that we would agree completely with a
couple of key words that both Kazuo and Robbie
have used and one of those was concepts, and
the other one was future and we would not have
spent the time in installing capability for that if we
didn't likewise believe the medium is seductive.
Wouldn't it be great if we can find a way to do
this. We are being very honest in saying that we
have worked at it and are still working at it. We
don't know what that idea is. Not only that
provides the compelling enhancement to the game
play experience. That is what is critical. It is a
better way to spend my leisure time and my spare
dough. If it doesn't do that, then it is just another
neat idea that goes in that same ash can of all
those other dot com things that we have watched
over the last two years. Great technology, lovely
idea, no consumer. So we are looking at that and
we are anxious to find that answer but the other
part of it is we talk about this market and the
demos and the niches, and all that stuff. What you
have to remember is that still over half the
business is below the age of eighteen, people
generally not in control to a large degree of their
own discretionary disposable dough. They don't
have credit cards, they don't have that ability, and
those folks, have to convince another gatekeeper
to say this is a good idea, so we are all in the
same place. We have a set of content that is
custom made for this kind of delivery. We have
an experience that should be embraced by many.
The key is going to be, whoever can find that
wonderful idea, and gets it out there, we are all
going to applaud them and then go out and do it
one better, but we are hard at work at it and time
will tell.
JT:
Does Mr. Miyamoto have a secret project that he
is working on?
PM:
We have development teams at work. Believe
me.
JT:
In Doug's opening comment, he mentioned that
this market is something like forty million
households in the US and that could go to 70
million which would be massive penetration over
the course of the next five years. When you talk
about platform life cycles, you talk about the
importance of various consumer segment. We
have early adopters, and we have kids, and we
have males and females, and we have older, late
adopters, so what I want to explore here is how
would you characterize the core audience for your
machine right out of the box, because my
perception is that everybody is focused on a place
to start and then you will expand from there.
Kazuo, why don't we start with you since you are
already out there, you know something about
your demographic for the PS 2.
KH:
We have come up with a term called the
imaginators, and these are people who are
between the ages of 18 and 34 that are very
entertainment savvy, they know what new
technology is available to them, they really want
the cutting edge in terms of the entertainment
experience, and we were able to deliver that
demographic very quickly with the launch of the
PS 2 here in October. What we found in going
through the last several months and looking at the
demographic data, now that we have three million
Playstation 2s in the North American market, we
found that the demographic has already started to
widen, and interestingly enough we have
compared that to the same kind of demographic
information that we had when the original
Playstation had an install base of three million
units, and we are already seeing that the
Playstation 2 user base at three million units is a
lot flatter in terms of the demographics than we
had with the original Playstation. This really means
that even at this point in time, the Playstation 2
really has become more of a mass market
entertainment item a lot quicker than the original
Playstation did which to my knowledge is nothing
to shake a stick at either. We are already on our
way to flattening the demographics. The core
demographic is from the early teens to the 34 year
olds and that consists of probably 75 percent in
three key demographic segments between the
ages of teen and 34, and we already see that
starting to flatten out. I think that given the
consumer offering that we have been able to
make, they have really embraced the system, and
it's not just a system that appeals to one key
demographic.
JT:
Peter. Why don't you talk about demographics.
You guys own certain segments and you made
some attempts to move up and down.
PM:
Let me talk about Gameboy for half a moment.
The single most successful platform in the history
of the industry. 120 million hardware systems. A
good part about that is the most balanced demos
of any system in history. Sixty forty male female, a
third, a third, a third, twelve and under, thirteen to
eighteen, and eighteen plus. That is the holy grail,
that's the real definition of universal appeal and
that is where you want to be. Then when we talk
to councils we have had huge success with our
character based franchises which has given us
great strength in the twelve and under, similarly
very strong in the thirteen to seventeen and then
we jump to the twenty five plus crowd, the
parents who grew up playing Mario twenty years
ago and we are very strong there. Historically we
are slightly less strong with the late teen, early-20
gang, and believe me, building on our Gameboy
experience it is clearly in our sights as we go on to
this one. Products like Eternal Darkness, Wave
Race, NBA Basketball, right out of the starting
gate, those are focused clearly at insuring that we
have a better outreach to that very specific and
important crowd.
JT:
Robbie. Why don't you tell us where you are
starting out in terms of focus and you guys have
done a lot of homework on what other people
have tried to do in the past in terms of
broadening. What have you learned from those
efforts and where are you going to go to do that?
RB:
I think that the target audience that we will start
focusing on is in the 16 to 26 year range. We
think that that is the strongest and deepest part of
the market, and the place that will play to the
types of games and strengths that we will bring to
the market. We also think it is the part of the
market we would call the enthusiasts. It is the
group of people who generate the buzz and
momentum and create interest in new innovation,
new ideas, and new platforms. We think as a new
console that is a great place for Xbox to start.
Having said that, we would say that in the
combination of what we are doing in online and
things we want to do to broaden the
demographics in the core game franchise is that
there is tremendous opportunity to grow this. The
ultimate opportunity is to reach the people that
can turn on the TV and that is the simplest
definition of where you want to get to. The way to
get to that is to start with the core people, build
that enthusiast buzz around the product, and then
provide the product content that can appeal to
different people and different demographics.
What it comes down to is you have to have a
variety of different and fun types of games that
appeal to different people. If you are only in one
area with games that appeal just to kids of games
that are really hard core, it is very hard to
broaden the demographic. You will see us start
with the enthusiast community, and then broaden
out quite significantly.
KH:
Was that a Sony solution? Sounds like my
answer.
JT:
What is interesting here, is again we have three
very powerful companies that are launching or
broadening their installed base, and you are
talking about a mass market, and TV relevance,
and big ad budgets. Can we talk about what you
guys think is necessary in order to rise above the
level of the noise that is going to be created?
There is going to be a ton of money spent here.
What are the messages going to be and how
much is it going to cost you this fall? Peter why
don't you start?
PM:
First, second, and third priority is going to be
about content, not about budgets. You better
have some unique, great content or all the dough
in the world is not going to save you. You have to
get out there and allow all of those gamers to try
it, feel it, touch it, so we are all going to be doing
interactives, and all that kind of great stuff, and
then you are going to be going for share advice.
Again, it is discretionary time and money we are
calling for here and that has a direct relationship to
share advice, but this is not about inordinate
budgets. The video game industry today globally
is spending about 1.6 billion annually,
internationally to support this business. I don't
know between Sony and Nintendo last year in the
US, we were about half a billion on old platforms.
This is very serious money that is part of it, but it
is all wasted if you haven't got great content. We
are going to be there and we will be there with the
right intrusive program, post labor day starting
pre-sell, launching November 5. Stay tuned.
JT:
What do you think in trying to establish this brand
are the three most important messages going to
be.
RB:
In a way I would agree with Peter. I think the key
message for the Xbox is communicating that it is
all about great games. It is all about people having
fun, entertainment in the context of playing games
so you will see us absolutely focused on that. We
feel very fortunate. We have in our target
audience about 65 percent awareness of Xbox,
and we haven't really started our marketing push,
so we think we are in a very good position for
people to understand what Xbox means, to see
the great games, and we will spend the money we
need to enter the market place. Some of that will
be in advertising, some of that will be creative
promotions, but we will be there in November as
well. We think we are going to have great
products and we know that is what it is about and
we are committed to making it happen.
JT:
Kazuo, how about you? What are the take
aways?
KH:
I will say that as far as content is concerned I am
certain in agreement with both Robbie and Peter.
You have to have great content. Otherwise it
does make sense to try to go out and market
something that may not be up to par with
consumers expect. It is the business of
entertainment, and we are talking about
discretionary spending. We are not just talking
about discretionary spending in this industry, but
there are other forms of entertainment as well.
Going to the movies, buying CDs, buying DVDs,
going out and having a beer and playing pool with
your friends, whatever. There is not just
competition in this business, but it is also
competition in terms of all the other entertainment
options that the consumers have as well. We are
very fortunate as we move into the most important
part of the year, that just in North America, we
have over 30 million loyal Playstation users that
are focused on the kind of entertainment
experience that the Playstation has brought to
them and we will be leveraging that loyalty we
have been able to establish with the consumers,
and making sure that message gets across to 30
million Playstation users for their Playstation
experience, and also taking advantage of the three
million install base that we have on the Playstation
2 as well. They have come to expect a certain
level of quality of entertainment from Playstation
and Playstation 2, and we intend to deliver on
that, and deliver that message strong and hard.
JT:
There is a group of people out there called PC
gamers, who have been hurting a little bit lately.
What does it take to get them over onto a
platform. Peter do you want to take first shot at
that?
PM:
I think in some cases they are mutually exclusive.
Part of the gaming on PCs is the drop out when
you are trying to balance your bank statement or
whatever else you are trying to get your mind off
of, and so those puzzle games, and some of those
games that have been at the heart of the high PC
usage for gaming purposes will forever be there
and it will be a form of that entertainment. Once
again, this is about going after the entertainment
dollar, thinking about all the options out there, and
if you have a better tune and a better game
playing on your console, running on your forty
inch television, that is what it is all about. It is not
about special appeals to get them there. If this is
compelling gaming to them, they are going to
switch over and they are going to be doing it, and
I think it is about is it or isn't it a better
entertainment form.
JT:
Robbie you have as much experience with PC
gamers as anybody up here. What do you think it
takes to convert them?
RB:
I don't think that is the objective. It certainly isn't
our objective. We think the markets are very
different. The styles of games people play on PC
are different, the genres of games people play on
PCs are different. I think PC gaming is a great
market place. We are going to continue to invest
in that. We will come out with about twenty five
titles this year which is the most we have ever
come out with. We just think they are different
market places with different audiences and
different needs. There are a lot of games on PC
that are fabulous, exciting, and entertaining, and
they just don't translate to the living room
environment. We think it is different types of
games for different people of different target
audiences. We think it is a good market.
JT:
Kazuo, have you guys talked to PC gamers at all
in terms of bringing them on to PS2. What is the
overlap?
KH:
As Robbie said, I think we are talking about two
separate markets. The key for ourselves is
whether we can have the consumers that play
games on their PC also say these games are fun to
do it in the living room on a twenty inch or forty
inch screen with your friends or family. This is
another dimension that I am getting on my PC,
because these games are fun to do with my
friends and family in the living room so it is really a
matter of having the PC audience convert over for
some types of interactive entertainment into the
living room. I don't think you can suddenly have
all the PC gamers, suddenly shift all the way over.
It is giving them another entertainment option and
if we are able to offer compelling entertainment
that they believe is something they can have fun
with in a community experience, then they will
spend some of their time on the console as well.
JT:
Our time is about up so I want to thank Peter,
Kazuo, and Robbie for joining us here. Thank you
for attending. There has never been a better time
to be a gamer. Let's go see why.
[END OF TAPE]
http://www.e3daily.com/custom/newsfeed.cvn?viewall=1
E2 Keynote Transcript Part Three
JT:
Robbie, exclusive titles are on everybody's mind
and you have obviously created this wonderful
working environment for developers. Publishers
are the ones who control the checkbooks. What
are you doing? Talk about how you are
approaching the question of that.
RB:
I think the question starts from basic assumption,
which is our focus is on making sure we have
great quality games on Xbox and that is why we
have designed the platform to be so flexible for
developers so that they can do very creative and
innovative games. It is why we focus heavily on
working with third parties and making sure we get
their innovation. That is why we have over 200
game developers working on Xbox games to get
their innovation in the games, to make sure we
have great coverage in all of the key genres with
great selection for people of great style games.
Now, one of the things that goes along with that is
we have invested in first party as well and we
want to make sure that Microsoft can help drive
the platform with titles that are exclusive to the
platform and that do take advantage and twist the
technology to create new innovative games. Now
we think our mix will end up being about thirty
percent first party and about seventy percent third
party.
KH:
Follow our lead.
RB:
I think what is more relevant there is that the two
hundred developers are now developing on Xbox
and they are excited about the platform and the
quality that they are producing is amazing. If you
think about our platform, people have been
working on it less than twelve months and we are
going to have games at the show that look as
good or better than anything that else at the show.
The final thing I will say about exclusive, to
address you question specifically, is we have
eighty exclusive titles in development today.
About half of those are coming from third parties.
We certainly are seeing people who understand
that Xbox can do unique things and are going to
create unique content for Xbox.
JT:
I want to focus again on the publisher perspective
for a second. Development budgets have
skyrocketed over the last several years and you
guys can now process so much art that it just
consumes so much. Talk about what you are
doing specifically to encourage publishers to
invest in titles specifically for you platform and the
kinds of support you are offering.
RB:
I think the most important thing we have done to
support third parties is that we came and talked to
them about how they wanted the hardware to be
configured, because the biggest secret and the
easiest way to enable people to do better games
faster and more economically is to make sure that
the hardware is designed for producing games.
That it has the power and the flexibility they need
to easily create games, an architecture that the
developers already understand. We have really
worked hard on making sure it is easy to get up
and started on Xbox, and making sure it is easy
for people to work with the hardware and
produce great games and that is why we have
been as successful as we have to have such great
things here. In terms of what we do with third
parties, we have various business relationships
with different people, different companies have
different objectives. Our job is to be flexible and
work with their objectives. To understand what
their need are and work with them, both from a
hardware and software design perspective, as
well as from a business model perspective to
make sure that it works out well for everybody.
JT:
Kazuo. Why don't you take a stab at that one?
KH:
Right now in North America we have about three
hundred developers that are working on titles for
the Playstation 2 as we speak. To your point
John, it is a situation where development cost do
tend to increase with general changes in the
hardware. The important thing for us is not just
focusing on the cost of development, but also
working with our third party publishing partners to
be able to help them market their software titles in
the market and we have a variety of programs
that we have in place that allow us to help in that
marketing process and to make sure that when a
publisher is publishing on the Playstation 2, that it
is a profitable platform to publish on so that they
can balance the development costs that are
involved, but at the same time look at some of the
things we bring to the table, not just financially,
but in terms of other promotional vehicles as well
that will also increase the revenue side of the
equation when they are looking at developing
titles.
JT:
Peter, you guys take responsibility for driving your
install base. Talk about the cost of that.
PM:
That is a very sensitive topic called profitability.
Isn't that an interesting notion. The last generation
of N64 and Playstation 1, there were 1300 titles
published in this country combined, and about
seventy percent of them sold less than 300,000
pieces each. The new break even point on this
next generation is probably about 350 to 400,000
pieces to break even, and I submit whether it is
internal or external, we should be focusing on
taking our brightest development resources and
helping licensees or others do fewer title, not
more. Fewer titles better. Cover the genres
better, but we don't need twelve of every kind.
There has been an absolute blood bath in the
development business over these last two years.
We don't want all these bright ideas going down
the tubes with people chasing impossible dreams.
The market size is huge, but you better put your
pencil to the paper and figure out when we all go
out and sell 30, 40, 50, 60 million. Whatever that
number is going to be of the combined console
install base, put a factor of ten on that, 400
million, 500 million and divide it by all those
developers and pretty soon you will see that if all
that came to fruition you are going to have a lot
more red ink, so the focus has got to be with all of
them, show me something better. Take it back to
the stable. Work on it a little harder. We don't
need twenty five of everything. Nobody does, and
the development community will get a lot stronger
as a result of that.
JT:
I want to shift now from online gaming. Online
gaming is viewed by many as the industry's next
frontier and we are all talking about it, and kind of
wondering what it really is. Recent PC online
game numbers are really impressive and suggest
that there are over 25 million people that regularly
play games online on their PC. What I want to
explore here is we know what is inside each of
your platforms. Talk a little bit about what your
immediate priorities are in getting critical mass in
online gaming. What are you investing in now, and
when do you expect those things to start to yield
results? Robbie, why don't you start with that one.
RB:
I think obviously we have designed Xbox out of
the box to be a great online platform and our
focus there has been on simplicity and making
sure that from the get go it is super easy. Priority
number one is making sure that online gaming is
straightforward and super easy. That means we
want to have all the components you need in the
box. We don't think that it makes sense for you to
have to go out and buy a lot of extra components
to do this and we think that people are going to
want to do it right from the get go. Second thing
is, when you want to play multi player, in terms of
making it easy you have to be able to just click
and go. So we are doing a lot of work in the
infrastructure and the way we design our system
to make sure people can just get connected. The
second priority in that area is great game content,
because everything that drives new innovation
here is about great games so that is why we are
spending a lot of time working with our internal
development studios, as well as our third party
partners, to make sure they are looking at
innovative new concepts. That they are thinking
about how to bring online into their games and
how to create new genres and new types of
games. When I think about that, we think there is
great opportunities to revolutionize the way
people do multi player. Instead of playing the
offense and the defense in a basketball game, you
can be individual players. You can create virtual
communities, and communication, and that is why
people love online so much. It creates a sense of
community and competition and that really will
broaden the market. If you look at the
demographics of the people who play online it is
quite broad. We think that is a huge opportunity.
We think the idea that one of the challenges of
development costs is that you develop for two
and a half years and then you are done. One way
to reduce that is enable people to do what we call
episodic content, where you develop for a period
and then the game evolves over time. The game
doesn't have to end and you can add new
scenarios, new concepts, new characters, new
storylines. It is much more like producing a show
in some ways than it is in creating a game that you
work for two and a half years and invest millions
of dollars in. We think those are all great concepts
that can really change the way online works, and
finally we think communication and voice is critical
to this environment, so we are investing to make
sure we have technology so people can talk in a
normal way across the internet to create great
online games. We think this is the future. We think
it can really revolutionize and drive growth in the
business and so we are investing in it heavily from
day one.
E3 Keynote Transcript Part 2
JT:
Second up is Kazuo Hirai, chief operating officer
of Sony.
KH:
Last year we made a promise and we delivered
on that promise. Thank you JT, and it is really
exciting for me to be here and to be able to share
with you our vision for computer entertainment at
this fantastic venue called E3EXPO. Despite an
uncertain economy, and some clouds looming
over the economic outlook for the next year or
so, this industry as Peter mentioned, continues to
be an innovative and very exciting industry to be
in with the fantastic array of software that is being
provided by many companies that are involved in
this industry. Certainly at Sony, we definitely do
our part. As you know through innovative content
that has revolutionized the business, we have been
able to deliver compelling exciting content on a
constant basis to all the consumers, not just here
in North American, but also in Japan, and also in
Europe. The original Playstation that was
launched in 1994 in Japan, and in 1995 here in
North America, has now grown worldwide to an
install base of more than 80 million units. And of
course the excitement continues with the PSOne
console. With the Playstation 2, we are now up to
ten million units install base throughout the world
with three million units here in North America
alone. This year we are bringing another seven
million units into the North American market to
bring the install base in the North American
market for the Playstation 2 to ten million units by
the end of our fiscal year in March of next year. In
a nutshell, I kind of agree with the critics and the
analysts that say the real question for this year and
for next year is who is going to be in the number
two position. I should actually say who is going to
be in the number three position, because as I said
the PSOne continues to be a very strong market
for us as well. On the software side, with the
tremendous support of our third party publishing
partners, we were able to launch the Playstation 2
in October of last year and were able to quickly
ramp up to fifty titles within a month of the release
of the Playstation 2. We had 80 titles by the
beginning of this year, and we have another
whopping 200 titles that will be coming out again
just in the North American market this year for a
total of two hundred and eighty titles. We have
received fabulous support from the third party
publishing community, and we continue with our
strong efforts to push the envelope as far as our
first party development is concerned as well.
Everybody is talking and very excited about the
possibilities for online and online entertainment
and at Sony we are a very consumer focused
company and we will be in the forefront and the
drivers seat of this new online revolution. As you
know, in the past several days we have made
several announcements for strategic alliance
partnerships with world class companies such as
AOL, Macromedia, Real Networks, and Cisco,
to help us build and bring the infrastructure for the
online entertainment experience to the consumers
in a very seamless and plug and play manner. We
believe that the key focus for success of online
entertainment will be a natural extension of the
kind of dynamic and exciting immersive
entertainment experience that people have gotten
in the offline environment through the Playstation 2
console, and in the online environment, we will be
there too. Another example of the consumer focus
that the Sony Playstation, and the Playstation 2
brings to this market is our commitment to
bringing value to our consumers. Yesterday, we
announced the exciting release of the GT3 Racing
Pack which will have the most content defining
and certainly one of the most sought after titles,
bringing that together with the Playstation 2 and
bringing that to the consumers at a value
proposition of $329. Overall, a lot of exciting
things are happening in the industry. Playstation
and Playstation 2 is an integral part of that
industry, in the driver's seat, in the leadership
position, and you have my personal commitment
that we will continue to deliver the most
compelling and immersive entertainment in this
exciting industry. Thank you.
JT:
Next up is Robbie Bach, senior vice president of
Instavision, and chief Xbox officer.
RB:
Thank you and good morning. Certainly as a first
time on the stage in a console discussion, it is
certainly an honor me to be among all the people
that have done such an amazing job creating a
great industry and amazing games. I thought I
would share with you today two or three
principals that we believe in, in approaching this
industry. The first of those principals is that we
started to listen, and we came and talked to game
developers, and designers, and creative artists,
and we asked them what they wanted in the
hardware. We asked them what they wanted to
see so that they could reach a creative vision, and
so we could get the hardware out of the way and
enable them to achieve the vision that they set out
to achieve. We came and we talked to retailers,
and asked them what they wanted in terms of a
business model and in terms of the approach they
took and in terms of how we brought the product
to market. We most importantly talked to gamers,
and we asked them what they wanted in terms of
game play, in terms of franchises that they were
used to playing, exclusive titles, and quality. We
took all that feedback and we have developed
something that we think is very exciting. The
second principal that we have done is that we
focused on gaming. Microsoft and Xbox is all
about gaming. We talked to third party
developers, and we have over two hundred
developers doing games for Xbox and we think
that is going to lead to the right products, to great
coverage in all the key genres, to both depth and
breadth that our product offers. We have also
invested in our first party studios to make sure
that Microsoft is a significant participant in the
marketplace and that we produce great console
game. All of that is based on the fact, that we
created a hardware platform that puts the power
in the hands of the developers, and enables them
to do what they need to do. None of that would
have been very valuable if we didn't look to the
future, and so we really have tried to focus on
where the industry needs to go, and how we can
help build something new in the future. We have
taken two approaches to that. The first is enabling
the hardware to enable people to create
environments and virtual worlds that people have
never seen before, that creates a different game
experience for people, and enables games to
reach a new level. Secondly, we focus very much
on the online space. Xbox is the only console
designed from the ground up with all the things
you need in the box to create a great online
environment and with over 25 developers already
creating online game components for Xbox, we
think the Xbox online system is going to be a huge
innovation in the industry, and really help drive
things forward. I look forward to the next hour to
share with you our idea on where we are going,
and I think the key question is not who is going to
be number on or number two this year, I think
they key question as we look over the next five
years of the console wars, who is going to be the
secret to success and drive the industry forward,
and we think we are looking forward to a great
opportunity to do that. Thank you very much.
JT:
We are in a situation here where we have three
very powerful companies that are going after the
golden ring in the video game business, and one of
the neat things about this cycle is that each of the
platforms has different kinds of hardware built into
it. The first question that I want to explore is what
are the unique aspects of your hardware
configuration. What do they bring to your ability
to maximize an audience over a three to five year
time frame. I want you to focus specifically on
what you put in, and what you left out, and why?
You each have two or three minutes to talk about
that. Robbie, you guys have stirred things up by
putting all kinds of stuff in your box. Why don't
you talk about that.
RB:
I think when you talk about hardware you have to
talk about one basic concept, and you have to
remember that the hardware itself isn't the thing to
focus on. The thing to focus on is the games, and
that is where we started. We wanted to make
sure that whatever we put in the hardware was
something that would help the game developers
and game artist drive things forward and help
them create new things, so in the end hardware is
all about the games. What we have done in Xbox
is try to remove the barriers for people. We have
put in a lot of extra memory. We have put in a
very powerful CPU and graphic, and audio
technology, so the artists and developers can
create the visions that they want to create. We
have added a hard disk for the first time which we
think will help developers create traditional games
and use it as additional memory, and places for
people to save games. More importantly, it is the
permanent storage that you need to do online
gaming the way it needs to be done. We have
also added an ethernet port which we also think is
critical to the future of broadband gaming, and we
put four game ports on, because we think multiple
players are important, and we think voice
communication over time is going to be critical to
the online environment, so we are coming out with
a voice controller as well. Our hardware
approach, while it certainly focuses on
performance from a technical perspective isn't
because we think performance itself is important.
We want the hardware to be the thing that
enables developers to create the amazing games
that excite people, that are fun, and create new
entertainment opportunities. That is why we have
created Xbox the way we have.
JT:
Would the ethernet connect, with the hard drive,
with the massive uniform memory that is in the
machine, which ones do you think are going to be
unlocked first? What are the time frame for the
real utility of the capability of the machine?
RB:
I think what you are seeing initially and what you
will see in the games on the show floor, is that the
environments and worlds people are able to
create on Xbox really take advantage of the
memory, the graphics, and the CPU, that we have
in the Box and we are seeing some amazing virtual
worlds. Things like Dead or Alive 3 are just
incredible in terms of what they are able to create,
and what that does for game play so I think that is
going to be the initial wave of things. Starting late
this year or next year, you'll start to see some
exciting things taking advantage of the online
scenarios and ethernet and the hard disk, and I
think over time this is a five or six year business.
Over time our platform has more head room for
people to grow into and really explore and do
amazing things, many of which we probably
haven't anticipated today.
JT:
Kazuo, why don't you talk about the hardware
aspects. I'm not interested so much in polygons
and that kinds of stuff. We want to know what
this enables people to do.
RB:
One of the important things that we have in our
vision of this business is to provide computer
entertainment, and obviously that connotes
different idea in different people's minds. When
we came out with the Playstation 2 last year, we
focused on some of the entertainment experiences
that people can experience right out of the box, so
that included Playstation 2 software, the
backwards playability with the Playstation 1
software, audio CDs, and DVD movie playback
capability. We felt as a consumer centered
company that right out of the box the Playstation
2 should be a console that offers compelling
entertainment in a variety of forms to the
consumers and I think that we are going to be
able to deliver on that promise. Going forward,
online as I said before is a very exciting and also a
market with a lot of potential, and that is why in
addition to the capabilities that we have packed
into the box in terms of the entertainment out of
the box, we announced yesterday the network
adapter, which again focuses on the analog
conductivity as well as ethernet at a $39 value,
and also a 40 gigabyte hard drive which can go
into the bay for a variety of applications such as
downloading, or perhaps surfing the net, and also
storing information from your disk onto the hard
disk drive as well. We felt that it was important
that these are removable or additional units mainly
because consumers who want to go on to the
online space should and can avail themselves to
those peripherals. At the same time, consumers
who are happy with the offline environment should
be able to enjoy the potential and the maximum
benefits that the console offers right out of the
box, without additional peripherals that they may
not actually require for their own entertainment
experiences, who we have always focused on
what it is the consumers can do right out of the
box and then offer the additional peripherals and
the requirements in terms of software and also on
hardware to take the consumer experience to the
online environment should they choose to do so.
JT:
Your assumption is based upon the assumption
that people are going to buy peripherals in order
to be able to do this, so can you give us a sense
of the timing of when you think you are going to
have a game that is likely to really drive and
motivate people to do that? Is that a 2002 event,
2003? Can you give us a sense of where that
might fit in?
KH:
Some of the online games that we have on display
at our booth here at E3EXPO are online games or
games that have online components, and those
will be available as early as this fall. Given our
strategic alliance that we just announced with
AOL and also bringing the Netscape browser to
the Playstation 2, that is definitely going to require
a hard disk drive, and so we believe that both in
terms of the games that are going to be available
as well as some of the exciting things that
consumers can do in an online environment that
also requires a hard disk, this is something that is
going to come into the hands of the consumers
very quickly, and that is why we slated a
November release for the hard disk drive as well
as a network adapter. This is not something that
we are talking about happening next year, or
sometime in 2003. This is something that is
happening for the Playstation 2 this year.
JT:
Okay, Peter. You have got the least stuff built into
your box. Talk to us a little about why you did
that, why you left things out, and what is really
inside there.
PM:
It is kind of like that Tiffany box, very small but
very special. Like I said at the outset, we are
about here and now, and first let me say that it is
really interesting. I have been through a few
platform changes and this is the first time that
nobody is up here talking about their 128 bit
processor or 64, or in fact maybe a 32 that is
inside one of these, because that is all behind us.
We are all now on level ground. Our graphics and
our audio are virtually indistinguishable to the
average consumer in the market place so that
leads me back to what I said in my opening
remarks and what drives Nintendo's philosophy
behind hardware design and it is two things. One
is called simplicity, and one is called flexibility.
The simplicity thing is absolutely critical in our
mind in order to enable the game developers to
avoid all the bottle necks that all those other add
ones present as impediments to effective game
development, because we are trying to promote
innovation and not having to work around all
kinds of down the road and around the corner
future potential activities, to get in the way of
making a better game right now. Then the
architecture clearly addresses the moral. We can
handle the 56k modem. We have the ability for a
broadband. We have all that built in, but we are
not trying to cram that down any body's throat,
developers or game players, until the products are
there and ready to go. If you have been around
this business for a while, you have seen an endless
stream of great ideas, alliances, and
announcements that have never made the light of
day in terms of marketplace realities and that is
what drives our company. Right now, right here,
great games and that is what we designed our
system to do, and bring it to the mass market of
gamers and show them today, are we working on
those other things? You bet, but we don't think it
is relevant right now today for better gaming.
JT:
Peter, when would you think the time frame might
be when those would be relevant? How do you
think about it in your planning?
PM:
That is a different topic that you want to get at,
but the networking thing, probably everybody in
this audience forgets that we have been working
on that since the eighties. In the 1980s with the
eight bit NES we were in a joint venture with
Nemura for online banking and stock trading. In
the nineties we ran a global Tetris competition
between Europe, North America, and Japan. We
are currently in another series of tests with cell
phones. We are doing those kinds of things. We'll
bring that into our product when we see a
compelling game idea that really makes sense to
gamers and secondly makes serious sense to our
shareholders.
JT:
We are going to come back to online gaming as a
separate set of question in a little bit. Let's move
on to software. Last year over 60 percent of the
video game software dollars in the US were
generated by third party publishers and the
remainder from first party. I want you to talk
about your software strategy and how you are
balancing first party market share needs with
business deals that make sense for third parties,
because you guys have been forward in
embracing the third party community with PS 1
and obviously with PS 2 again, so why don't you
start out with how you are doing that.
KH:
As you mentioned, one of the very important
factors for the success of the Playstation and also
the Playstation 2, undoubtedly is software. I think
that Peter and Robbie would agree that software
is what drives this business and software is what
drives the platforms. We always felt that together
with a strong first party software studio, that it is
very important for us to be able to also harness
the power and the creativity that the third party
publishing partners bring to the table as well. We
know as first party software development, we
want to try to push the envelope to try to come up
with innovative and creative games, new genres,
to see what kind of direction the platform can
take going forward. At the same time we need to
rely on the creativity of the third party publishing
partners, because no matter what kind of
investments you make you are going to be limited
as to how big you can make your development
organization. With the Playstation and the
Playstation 2, our first party to third party ratio
remains at about thirty to seventy meaning about
thirty percent of the software that is on the
Playstation is first party. The remaining 70 percent
being third party. Again, that is a testament to the
kind of support that we have gotten from the third
party publishing partners and speaks a lot to the
support that they have given us in terms of
developing and increasing the install base for our
platform. Going forward, I believe that the thirty
seventy rule, has been a very successful formula.
We know we can't do everything ourselves, and
that is why we rely heavily on our third party
partners and it has been a fantastic arrangement
and relationship with our third party partners and
that is something that we will keep as a strategy to
continue forward.
JT:
Peter, Nintendo has roughly a 50 percent share of
first party versus third party historically, at least
recently. I think part of that is because a lot of
people had business model problems with the
cartridge, the inventory issue. That is all behind us
now. Talk about Nintendo's strategy with third
party and first party, but there is no question first
party is going to be strong. Talk about third party
if you will, and what you are doing with it.
PM:
We are absolutely delighted to have leveled that
playing field with the adoption of the new medium
for our software on Game Cube, and you are
right. It has removed that issue, and we think
there are some fabulous third party developers
throughout the world that we know are already
doing product for us, and others that are going to
be joining that group. The fact remains that
because we have made such substantial
investments in not only our internal first party, but
our extensive holdings around the world in second
party, that these people in looking at their track
records of hit after hit, we are very proud that a
Miyamoto produced Mario title can sell five or six
million pieces globally. That changes the balance a
little bit, but we clearly are looking for the best
gaming ideas. If they are in house great. If they
are out house super. At the end of the day it is
going to be very clear, again with the graphics,
and audio, and those basic capabilities being very
similar, a very big component in driving this
generation. It is going to be unique content and
clearly we are going to be in a position to do a lot
of that with our first and second parties.
E3 Keynote Transcript! Part one
“The Future of Console Gaming,” brought together three console-gaming titans for a
mannerly chat.
Presented by Doug Lowenstien of the IDSA and moderated by John Taylor, the
Keynote brought together Kazuo Hirai of Sony, Peter Main of Nintendo and Robert
Bach of Microsoft. Read their chat below:
DL = Doug Lowenstien, JT = John Taylor, PM = Peter T. Main, KH = Kazuo
Hirai, RB = Robert J. Bach
DL:
Good morning. I'm Doug Lowenstein, president
of the IDSA and thank you for all joining us for
this exciting panel discussion on the future of
console gaming. I'm just going to take a minute
here to set the stage. This next generation of video
game consoles, many analysts forecast will enter
as many as 70 million households by the year
2005. This would make it one of the most
successful consumer electronics products in the
history of this country. As many of you know and
have heard, the demographic for gaming has
broadened dramatically beyond the traditional
teenage boy audience. Now 70 percent of the
most frequent players of video games are over 18
and 56 percent of the most frequent players of
console games are over 18, so this industry is
appealing to people of all ages and all tastes.
Many analysts are forecasting that this next
generation of video games will generate revenues
into the tens and even $15 billion over the next
five years in software in the United States alone.
Clearly this industry is poised to once and for all,
move past the motion picture box office in terms
of its impact on entertainment revenue in this
country, so it is a real privilege for me to introduce
briefly our panelists and our moderator this
morning. Our moderator, John Taylor, is the
president of Arcadia investment corporation. He
is one of the leading video game analysts in the
United States and the world, and we are honored
that he has been able to join us this morning. Of
course you all know our panelists, Kazuo Hirai,
president of Sony Computer Entertainment of
America, Robert Bach, chief Xbox officer for
Microsoft, and Peter Main, executive
vice-president of Nintendo. Enjoy the panel and
thank you again for coming.
JT:
Good morning. Thank you for coming and
welcome to E3Expo. The format this morning is
going to be pretty simple. We are going to start
with three minute position statements from each of
my colleagues over here, and they will lay out
where they are going and what their key priorities
are. The idea is to get these guys to compare and
contrast where they are, so we can get a clear
understanding of what this is going to look like.
We have several questions we are going to go
over. In formulating them, I didn't know what role
I was going to play, whether this was going to be
like a presidential debate, or whether it was going
to be a WWF referee type thing, or a tribal
council or something. We are going to start with
Peter Main or Nintendo and then we'll go to
Kazuo and Robbie.
PM:
Thank you, John, and good morning everyone.
We are all obviously competitors, but I think we
agree on one thing, and that is we are about to
kick off one of the most exciting E3EXPO shows
in history. You heard earlier this morning that the
business is on the uptick, the total industry retail
revenues in the US is already up 19 percent year
on year. Players are obviously very anxious for all
the new thrills that all of our new systems are
going to bring to the market place. Surely when
you leave this room and step on to the show floor
this morning you are going to see some absolutely
beautiful work for all three systems. In reality we
suggest that pretty graphics and other cosmetics
are now just the ante to get into this business. If
they were an end unto themselves, I would
suggest there would have been some other former
hardware manufacturers still up here today. In
fact, horsepower is what makes us all the same,
but today's video game players are focused on
what makes us different right now. In that spirit,
let me offer a couple of thoughts on what truly
makes Nintendo unique. There is no one
anywhere that is going to deny that Sony is a
world class hardware company, and certainly no
one is going to deny that Microsoft is a world
class computer software company, but in truth
Nintendo inspires to be neither one of those
things, because we have built our company and
conducted our business everyday for more than
twenty years, neither as a hardware company nor
as a software company, but as an entertainment
company and I think that makes us different in a
couple of ways. First we put our game creators in
the drivers seat in our company, not our
engineers, and certainly not our marketers. For
example, it was our game developers who
demanded redesign for the processor of
Gameboy Advance, and it was our developers
who conceived the basic architecture which
makes Nintendo Game Cube the easiest console
ever for game development. Second, when
Nintendo talks about entertainment we put our
money where our mouth is and the result of our
significant investments in first and second party
game makers means that we now have far more
proven in house design talent than anybody else in
the business, and the work of these teams is
exclusive to Nintendo. These people are creating
must have hits, and when must have games play
on only one brand of system, they in turn create
must have hardware. Third, we found Nintendo's
profitability is innovation. Not just new idea, but
better products. How about Gameboy linked to a
digital camera or linked to a cell phone. This
week we are introducing a unique wireless RF
controller and soon you are going to be seeing
software that spans play between Gameboy
Advance and Nintendo Game Cube. Speaking of
games, let me remind you that that incredible
innovation called Pokemon which last year sold
more than ten million pieces of software all by
itself in America. Finally I submit that no other
manufacturer cares more about video games or is
more focused on video games than Nintendo.
That is because to us it is not an experiment or
another division, or a new profit center, it is our
entire business. Nintendo is games. You are going
to be seeing a lot of great ones beginning today,
and then at Spaceworld in Tokyo in August, and
for years beyond this launch. In summary, we
submit that it is all about plug and play and
enjoying something unique and fun right now, with
endless ways to expand upon that in the future. It
is neither rocket science nor is it evolutionary, it is
just the same pragmatic approach that we have
followed for these last twenty years in allowing us
to sell over 200 million pieces of hardware and
1.5 billion pieces of software, and I am here to tell
you that Gameboy Advance and the Nintendo
Game Cube are going to add millions to that.
Thank you.
Video Game industry reports
growth
LOS ANGELES: Computer and video games now
represent a $10.5 billion industry that eventually could
rival the market for movies, according to a trade
organization study.
Game sales have grown 15 percent a year from 1997 to
2000, according to a state-of-the-industry report
released Tuesday by the Interactive Digital Software
Association, a group that represents video game makers.
The industry's total value was based on game publishing,
transportation, wholesale and retail sales, and other
related areas.
The industry also created more than 219,000 jobs and
paid $7.2 billion in wages in 2000, according to the
study. Retail sales of computer and video game hardware
and software totaled about $7.8 billion.
By comparison, domestic movie ticket sales reached
$7.7 billion in 2000, while DVD and videocassette tape
sales hit about $10.8 billion, according to firms that track
the film industry.
``The lines will cross soon if the growth projections that
we see are true,'' said Doug Lowenstein, president of the
software association. ``This industry is going to be
growing at 50 to 75 percent over the next four or five
years.''
Analysts expect a big burst of growth for computer and
video games this year, when Microsoft, Sony and
Nintendo introduce a new generation of consoles in time
for the holidays.
Depending on the game platform, the equipment will
feature high-speed Internet access, the ability to play
DVD movies and advanced game-playing capacity.
All three companies are expected to show off the
platforms later this month in Los Angeles at the Electronic
Entertainment Expo, the largest video game trade show
of the year.
``The gaming industry is going to control more of the
living-room dollars,'' said P.J. McNealy, a senior analyst
with Dataquest. ``You start putting a box in front of a TV
with a hard drive attached to it, and you can download
movies, games, MP3s, anything. And you can watch
DVDs.
``So (gaming and movies) are battling for entertainment
dollars.''
The growth has caught the attention of lawmakers, who
are turning more frequently to experts to offer advice on
intellectual property and other issues connected to the
industry.
``The entertainment software industry has clearly become
more politically involved as it has grown over the last few
years,'' said U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, a Democrat
who represents the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles.
Some game makers also have come under fire by
lawmakers for the level of violence contained in games.
The association, however, contends that only a small
percentage of games incorporate the kind of extreme
violence under scrutiny by Congress.
(AP)
http://www.timesofindia.com/020501/02info6.htm
Video game industry poised for a shootout
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/05/01/microsoft.video.game.idg/
Greg
Video games let you be the star of popular movies
By Michael Goldstein
If you enjoy a movie these days, there's an endless number of ways to extend the experience, from action figures to books to soundtracks.
Mel Brooks satirized this phenomenon in Spaceballs, where the Yoda-like Yogurt shows off his marketing prowess -- "Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs, the T-shirt. Spaceballs, the lunchbox. Spaceballs, the coloring book." So it's not much of a leap that the Yogurt-like marketing gurus in Hollywood would take to video games, a potentially profitable spin-off. Here's a look at some of the recent games Hollywood hath spawned.
The World is Not Enough, Electronic Arts
PlayStation ($39.95), Nintendo 64 ($49.95), PC and PlayStation2 (due in Spring 2001)
EA's The World is Not Enough follows the popular Bond movie and N64 shooter game GoldenEye, which, according to Nintendo of America, has sold more than 7.5 million units. GoldenEye, with its exciting tank battle and the implacably angry 006 as Bond's enemy, may have been a better Bond flick, but The World is Not Enough film and game both feature plenty of Bond-style action. The World game challenges you to complete more than 10 movie-based missions, including a battle in the streets of Istanbul, skiing the Caucasus Mountains (dodge the shooting snowmobiles) and a shootout on a Russian submarine, all with 3-D high-resolution graphics and visual effects. You get an arsenal of Q-Lab gadgets such as X-ray glasses, a fingerprint scanner and a phone tazer. You can play the game alone or with up to three friends.
For a cool preview, check out EA's official World site.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, LucasArts
PC, PlayStation ($29.95)
As anyone who's been to a toy store recently knows, Star Wars is on markdown. For gamers, that means LucasArts' The Phantom Menace for PC is one of the best bargains around. The game is full of action and you can take on the roles of a variety of characters from the Star Wars: Episode I story. Use the Force and your wits -- or your lightsaber and a little muscle -- to overcome obstacles and enemies. The graphics and backgrounds, from the desert planet of Tatooine to the green and underwater worlds of planet Naboo, are terrific, as are the faithful full-motion renderings of the characters. In addition to 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, you'll encounter the determined young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan's Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn, and other familiar Star Wars characters such as Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO and Jabba the Hutt.
As for the Jedi's dopey aquatic friend, this reviewer's son delightedly sums up the dream of all Star Wars fans: "I killed Jar Jar Binks!"
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, THQ
Game Boy, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 ($49.95)
Rugrats in Paris is a surprisingly entertaining movie both for kids and the adults who must sit through it with them. The Rugrats gang (Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Angelica and Kimi) are going to Paris. As in the movie, the characters wander sans parents through EuroReptarland's various amusement sections, including Ooey Gooey World and Reptar's Bumper Cars.
Unfortunately, the Rugrats in Paris game isn't nearly as entertaining as the film. Rather than virtually experiencing the amusement park, the video game has you play less-than-compelling games like baseball toss and whack-a-Ninja so you can earn enough tickets for the Robotic Reptar Helmet, which is needed to help defeat Robosnail at the game's finale. If you're thinking about this game for your family, we suggest you rent it before buying.
Disney's 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue, Disney Interactive
PC ($29.99)
We make the argument that you can skip the movie, but consider the game. The film 102 Dalmatians mostly held a 2-year-old's attention, but older children will turn up their noses at Glenn Close's wild overacting, hard-to-follow English accents and the less-than-gripping plot.
As for Puppies the game, the plot closely follows the movie: Rescue puppies from the evil Cruella De Vil. We were pleasantly surprised by the game's excellent graphics. The action is quite Nintendo-like; your puppy alter ego smashes crates to free captive Dalmatians, destroys bad toys by barking at them and gets rewards of floating bones. You stop the game by hitting -- brace yourself -- "Game Pawsed."
Although supposedly for ages 8 and up, younger children may find the keyboard commands hard to learn. And be aware of the hardware requirements. In addition to a 166MHz or faster Pentium and 32MB of RAM, Puppies also demands 16-bit DirectX sound and video cards. We tried the program on a 350MHz Pentium II with 96MB of RAM, but no DirectX cards, and the sound was incomprehensible.
Star Wars Episode I: Obi-Wan's Adventures, THQ
Game Boy Color ($29.95)
If you haven't paid much attention to Game Boy lately, it's time for another look. Nintendo's pocket game system now offers a color display, decent sound and sells for around $70. And the games, especially Obi-Wan's Adventures, are terrific for passing time.
In Obi-Wan's Adventures you take on the role of Obi-Wan, a young apprentice Jedi. You must protect the planet Naboo, defeat the Trade Federation and free Queen Amidala. There are just nine levels, but you must fight wave after wave of Battle Droids, bats, mercenary bounty hunters, gun turrets and Destroyer Droids before ultimately doing battle with the deadly Darth Maul.
Rated: "addictive."
http://www.accessmagazine.com/newsdesk/infocusarchive/games/02664081.jsp?Element_ID=2664081
Muel - I caught this about ABRG on Bobz. I saved it here for ya:)
ABRG LAWYERS ALMOST DONE WITH IPO!
[ABRG]
ABRG LAWYERS ALMOST DONE WITH IPO [24.141.211.159]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABRG LAWYERS ALMOST DONE WITH IPO!
Talked to IR today. He said the lawyers almost done working on the "big project" that the CEO claims will make investors "happy" and increase shareholder value. ABRG already has 2.2 million in cash, no debt, and an 8 billion dollar claim up north. Now they want to buy up a lot of leases in the states, and to do so, they are going to do an IPO called Venture Energy. Go to this DD site to learn more:
abrgdd.tripod.com
Take Care,
Greg
Arch - Thanks for the comments. I am hoping that the market will take interest in GAMZ after the Ferris merger deal gets shareholder approval and is officially complete. I believe Kelly is looking at IR firms to get the word out about GAMZ. I hope he has one in place to gain investor awareness for the company after shareholder approval which should happen by the beginning of July.
Take Care,
Greg
Pod product a Ferris
American virtual reality (VR) company Ferris Productions Incorporated has recently released an affordable multi-player system of networked machines.
The CyberPod is a virtually sound-proof cabinet that can be placed in a system of networked machines to let players experience interactive, multi-player shooting action games.
Each Pod is coin-operated and can be linked with up to eight other Pods to let players experience either single or linked games. Each Pod also has an exterior display so that the game being played inside can be viewed outside.
The system comes with a range of interchangeable games and is equipped with a 600-watt sound system. There are both beginner and advanced controls and Ferris says that this system is certain to keep the punters coming back for more.
Ferris was founded in 1993 and designs, develops and distributes technically advanced products and systems for the entertainment, simulation, promotion, and education industries. There products are used by such large companies as United Artists, Pepsi, General Motors (GM), Six Flags, Paramount Parks, Circus Circus Casino, International Business Machines (IBM) and US West.
The link below requires a one time registration after the first time you can just click on the yes button that ask if your in the database and click the link at the bottom of the screen to continue.
http://www.worldsfair.co.uk/es/pages/issues/yr01/june/portfolio.tpl#ferris
Greg
GameCom planning VR attack
By: DENELL RUSSELL, Staff writer June 22, 2001
Arlington-based GameCom Inc., an interactive computer gaming designer and manufacturer, played its corporate cards right in April and walked away with a valuable virtual-reality chip in Ferris Productions Inc.
The newly combined company is fashioning its first project, a virtual-reality promotion for Red Baron Pizza, said GameCom (OTCBB: GAMZ) Chief Executive Officer L. Kelly Jones. The company projects that the merger will yield more than $5 million more in revenue this year than the companies totaled as separate entities last year. Jones said the company is planning a plethora of projects that will run the gamut of virtual-reality uses. Phoenix-based Ferris has a solid foothold in the worldwide virtual reality industry, and Jones believes the marriage of the two companies furnishes a perfect business vehicle.
"We realized it would take (GameCom) too much time to get us to where we wanted to be (through internal growth)," he said. "We wanted to find the right private company compatible with us.
"I think we've got a real chance to ring the bell," he said.
With Ferris, the compatibility was there and the corporate pieces fit, he said. Jones credits the company's product compatibility with being key to the successful merger. GameCom's key product is 'Net GameLink, an interactive Internet gaming platform housed in networked kiosks that GameCom designs, manufactures and assembles. Ferris makes integrated hardware and software for virtual reality applications. Ferris designs, develops and deploys its technology.
Now, with both products to play with, the combined company plans to create virtual-reality projects for industries including entertainment, manufacturing and education, Jones said. The company wants to replicate the immense virtual-reality success Ferris had with Buick's 2000 LeSabre promotion, he said.
With that project, virtual reality was in the driver's seat. Participants went along for the ride by donning headgear to virtually "test drive" a LeSabre, picking up Buick-sponsored pro golfer Ben Crenshaw along the way, he said.
The Buick project comprised eight minutes of changing scenes, including a bellman banging the car's hood to alert the driver of Crenshaw's presence, Jones said. Changing weather conditions added to the drama, he said. For example, it rained, and when the windshield cleared, the driver had been zapped to a different location. The experience assaulted the senses, Jones said.
"This virtual reality is very, very exciting," he said. "It's not the typical computer images, it's photo-realistic virtual reality."
The GameCom/Ferris version of virtual reality employs technology that films a 360-degree radius and creates a different experience for each person, he said. For the Red Barron project, GameCom/Ferris will incorporate the Red Baron's vintage airplane, putting riders into a virtual cockpit, he said. The company expects the project to be completed by mid-July, Jones said.
Other projects, though, are waiting in the wings, Jones said. GameCom/Ferris envisions extending virtual reality to museums, science centers and military and police training operations. The company also wants to double the 15 theme-park contracts it currently holds, he said.
"We think the key to the future of this industry is making PC (personal computer) games easy to play in an arcade setting," he said.
With the Ferris component, upcoming projects will continue building on the expertise built during the Buick project to provide a full-blown, "immersive" virtual reality experience, from smelling jet fuel or grass to hearing radio music or gunshots, said Steven Haag, GameCom/Ferris marketing director.
"Ferris has defined virtual reality as real - sight, sound, smell. You supply the emotions," he said.
The gaming and virtual reality industry's popularity stems from the reality it forges, he said. Immersive virtual reality will increase its hold in the entertainment and "edutainment" industries. Virtual roller coasters will join the equation, as will mine trains complete with the illusion of broken tracks. Edutainment will take participants on virtual trips to pyramids, and the professional training element will let cops fire virtual bullets at bad guys and help doctors treat phobic disorders such as fears of flying and public speaking.
Haag said GameCom/Ferris designs its products to stand apart from competitors. For example, GameCom's kiosks have color-coded computer-development housing units that easily can be slipped out by turning thumb screws, Haag said. The design renders tools unnecessary, making assembly, maintenance and upgrades easy.
"Every other video unit has to be broken into and surgery done," he said.
At some future date, GameCom/Ferris will break in a new corporate name for the combined identity, Jones said. They will probably seek advice from marketing companies and focus groups, but plan the GAMZ trading symbol, he said.
On the employment front, employee integration will mean extending stock incentives and relocating one Ferris employee to the Arlington headquarters, Jones said. Ferris has nearly 300 employees, including seasonal theme park workers, he said, and GameCom has seven employees.
A Ferris satellite sales office in Irving will be relocated to Arlington, Jones said. Also, completing the merger logistics the company will take two to three months of low-volume, behind-the-scenes work. The only items pending to make the merger official are filing a proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and conducting a GameCom shareholder vote, he said.
Ferris is privately held and will not require a shareholder vote to complete the deal. But the transition process also included having Ferris' and GameCom's financial statements audited, a first for Ferris, Jones said.
The immensity of the companies integration has proved to be - unlike the company's products - not all fun and games. The logistics have included providing GameCom/Ferris shareholders with shares in both companies, but not until the math was done to determine the correct distribution ratios. It also included complying with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and making frequent trips to New York to meet with investors, he said.
"As you can imagine, the logistics of combining the two companies are monumental," Logistics aside, though, the interactive gaming meeting virtual reality means synchronizing the virtual reality experiences, sharpening the technical end and customizing promotions and advertisements for a wealth of potential clients, Haag said.
"It's a win, win, win situation," he said.
Contact Russell drussell@bizpress.net
©Fort Worth Business Press 2001
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1977543&BRD=1427&PAG=461&dept_id=185827&rf...
GameCom planning VR attack
By: DENELL RUSSELL, Staff writer June 22, 2001
Arlington-based GameCom Inc., an interactive computer gaming designer and manufacturer, played its corporate cards right in April and walked away with a valuable virtual-reality chip in Ferris Productions Inc.
The newly combined company is fashioning its first project, a virtual-reality promotion for Red Baron Pizza, said GameCom (OTCBB: GAMZ) Chief Executive Officer L. Kelly Jones. The company projects that the merger will yield more than $5 million more in revenue this year than the companies totaled as separate entities last year. Jones said the company is planning a plethora of projects that will run the gamut of virtual-reality uses. Phoenix-based Ferris has a solid foothold in the worldwide virtual reality industry, and Jones believes the marriage of the two companies furnishes a perfect business vehicle.
"We realized it would take (GameCom) too much time to get us to where we wanted to be (through internal growth)," he said. "We wanted to find the right private company compatible with us.
"I think we've got a real chance to ring the bell," he said.
With Ferris, the compatibility was there and the corporate pieces fit, he said. Jones credits the company's product compatibility with being key to the successful merger. GameCom's key product is 'Net GameLink, an interactive Internet gaming platform housed in networked kiosks that GameCom designs, manufactures and assembles. Ferris makes integrated hardware and software for virtual reality applications. Ferris designs, develops and deploys its technology.
Now, with both products to play with, the combined company plans to create virtual-reality projects for industries including entertainment, manufacturing and education, Jones said. The company wants to replicate the immense virtual-reality success Ferris had with Buick's 2000 LeSabre promotion, he said.
With that project, virtual reality was in the driver's seat. Participants went along for the ride by donning headgear to virtually "test drive" a LeSabre, picking up Buick-sponsored pro golfer Ben Crenshaw along the way, he said.
The Buick project comprised eight minutes of changing scenes, including a bellman banging the car's hood to alert the driver of Crenshaw's presence, Jones said. Changing weather conditions added to the drama, he said. For example, it rained, and when the windshield cleared, the driver had been zapped to a different location. The experience assaulted the senses, Jones said.
"This virtual reality is very, very exciting," he said. "It's not the typical computer images, it's photo-realistic virtual reality."
The GameCom/Ferris version of virtual reality employs technology that films a 360-degree radius and creates a different experience for each person, he said. For the Red Barron project, GameCom/Ferris will incorporate the Red Baron's vintage airplane, putting riders into a virtual cockpit, he said. The company expects the project to be completed by mid-July, Jones said.
Other projects, though, are waiting in the wings, Jones said. GameCom/Ferris envisions extending virtual reality to museums, science centers and military and police training operations. The company also wants to double the 15 theme-park contracts it currently holds, he said.
"We think the key to the future of this industry is making PC (personal computer) games easy to play in an arcade setting," he said.
With the Ferris component, upcoming projects will continue building on the expertise built during the Buick project to provide a full-blown, "immersive" virtual reality experience, from smelling jet fuel or grass to hearing radio music or gunshots, said Steven Haag, GameCom/Ferris marketing director.
"Ferris has defined virtual reality as real - sight, sound, smell. You supply the emotions," he said.
The gaming and virtual reality industry's popularity stems from the reality it forges, he said. Immersive virtual reality will increase its hold in the entertainment and "edutainment" industries. Virtual roller coasters will join the equation, as will mine trains complete with the illusion of broken tracks. Edutainment will take participants on virtual trips to pyramids, and the professional training element will let cops fire virtual bullets at bad guys and help doctors treat phobic disorders such as fears of flying and public speaking.
Haag said GameCom/Ferris designs its products to stand apart from competitors. For example, GameCom's kiosks have color-coded computer-development housing units that easily can be slipped out by turning thumb screws, Haag said. The design renders tools unnecessary, making assembly, maintenance and upgrades easy.
"Every other video unit has to be broken into and surgery done," he said.
At some future date, GameCom/Ferris will break in a new corporate name for the combined identity, Jones said. They will probably seek advice from marketing companies and focus groups, but plan the GAMZ trading symbol, he said.
On the employment front, employee integration will mean extending stock incentives and relocating one Ferris employee to the Arlington headquarters, Jones said. Ferris has nearly 300 employees, including seasonal theme park workers, he said, and GameCom has seven employees.
A Ferris satellite sales office in Irving will be relocated to Arlington, Jones said. Also, completing the merger logistics the company will take two to three months of low-volume, behind-the-scenes work. The only items pending to make the merger official are filing a proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and conducting a GameCom shareholder vote, he said.
Ferris is privately held and will not require a shareholder vote to complete the deal. But the transition process also included having Ferris' and GameCom's financial statements audited, a first for Ferris, Jones said.
The immensity of the companies integration has proved to be - unlike the company's products - not all fun and games. The logistics have included providing GameCom/Ferris shareholders with shares in both companies, but not until the math was done to determine the correct distribution ratios. It also included complying with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and making frequent trips to New York to meet with investors, he said.
"As you can imagine, the logistics of combining the two companies are monumental," Logistics aside, though, the interactive gaming meeting virtual reality means synchronizing the virtual reality experiences, sharpening the technical end and customizing promotions and advertisements for a wealth of potential clients, Haag said.
"It's a win, win, win situation," he said.
Contact Russell drussell@bizpress.net
©Fort Worth Business Press 2001
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1977543&BRD=1427&PAG=461&dept_id=185827&rf...
GameCom planning VR attack
By: DENELL RUSSELL, Staff writer June 22, 2001
Arlington-based GameCom Inc., an interactive computer gaming designer and manufacturer, played its corporate cards right in April and walked away with a valuable virtual-reality chip in Ferris Productions Inc.
The newly combined company is fashioning its first project, a virtual-reality promotion for Red Baron Pizza, said GameCom (OTCBB: GAMZ) Chief Executive Officer L. Kelly Jones. The company projects that the merger will yield more than $5 million more in revenue this year than the companies totaled as separate entities last year. Jones said the company is planning a plethora of projects that will run the gamut of virtual-reality uses. Phoenix-based Ferris has a solid foothold in the worldwide virtual reality industry, and Jones believes the marriage of the two companies furnishes a perfect business vehicle.
"We realized it would take (GameCom) too much time to get us to where we wanted to be (through internal growth)," he said. "We wanted to find the right private company compatible with us.
"I think we've got a real chance to ring the bell," he said.
With Ferris, the compatibility was there and the corporate pieces fit, he said. Jones credits the company's product compatibility with being key to the successful merger. GameCom's key product is 'Net GameLink, an interactive Internet gaming platform housed in networked kiosks that GameCom designs, manufactures and assembles. Ferris makes integrated hardware and software for virtual reality applications. Ferris designs, develops and deploys its technology.
Now, with both products to play with, the combined company plans to create virtual-reality projects for industries including entertainment, manufacturing and education, Jones said. The company wants to replicate the immense virtual-reality success Ferris had with Buick's 2000 LeSabre promotion, he said.
With that project, virtual reality was in the driver's seat. Participants went along for the ride by donning headgear to virtually "test drive" a LeSabre, picking up Buick-sponsored pro golfer Ben Crenshaw along the way, he said.
The Buick project comprised eight minutes of changing scenes, including a bellman banging the car's hood to alert the driver of Crenshaw's presence, Jones said. Changing weather conditions added to the drama, he said. For example, it rained, and when the windshield cleared, the driver had been zapped to a different location. The experience assaulted the senses, Jones said.
"This virtual reality is very, very exciting," he said. "It's not the typical computer images, it's photo-realistic virtual reality."
The GameCom/Ferris version of virtual reality employs technology that films a 360-degree radius and creates a different experience for each person, he said. For the Red Barron project, GameCom/Ferris will incorporate the Red Baron's vintage airplane, putting riders into a virtual cockpit, he said. The company expects the project to be completed by mid-July, Jones said.
Other projects, though, are waiting in the wings, Jones said. GameCom/Ferris envisions extending virtual reality to museums, science centers and military and police training operations. The company also wants to double the 15 theme-park contracts it currently holds, he said.
"We think the key to the future of this industry is making PC (personal computer) games easy to play in an arcade setting," he said.
With the Ferris component, upcoming projects will continue building on the expertise built during the Buick project to provide a full-blown, "immersive" virtual reality experience, from smelling jet fuel or grass to hearing radio music or gunshots, said Steven Haag, GameCom/Ferris marketing director.
"Ferris has defined virtual reality as real - sight, sound, smell. You supply the emotions," he said.
The gaming and virtual reality industry's popularity stems from the reality it forges, he said. Immersive virtual reality will increase its hold in the entertainment and "edutainment" industries. Virtual roller coasters will join the equation, as will mine trains complete with the illusion of broken tracks. Edutainment will take participants on virtual trips to pyramids, and the professional training element will let cops fire virtual bullets at bad guys and help doctors treat phobic disorders such as fears of flying and public speaking.
Haag said GameCom/Ferris designs its products to stand apart from competitors. For example, GameCom's kiosks have color-coded computer-development housing units that easily can be slipped out by turning thumb screws, Haag said. The design renders tools unnecessary, making assembly, maintenance and upgrades easy.
"Every other video unit has to be broken into and surgery done," he said.
At some future date, GameCom/Ferris will break in a new corporate name for the combined identity, Jones said. They will probably seek advice from marketing companies and focus groups, but plan the GAMZ trading symbol, he said.
On the employment front, employee integration will mean extending stock incentives and relocating one Ferris employee to the Arlington headquarters, Jones said. Ferris has nearly 300 employees, including seasonal theme park workers, he said, and GameCom has seven employees.
A Ferris satellite sales office in Irving will be relocated to Arlington, Jones said. Also, completing the merger logistics the company will take two to three months of low-volume, behind-the-scenes work. The only items pending to make the merger official are filing a proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and conducting a GameCom shareholder vote, he said.
Ferris is privately held and will not require a shareholder vote to complete the deal. But the transition process also included having Ferris' and GameCom's financial statements audited, a first for Ferris, Jones said.
The immensity of the companies integration has proved to be - unlike the company's products - not all fun and games. The logistics have included providing GameCom/Ferris shareholders with shares in both companies, but not until the math was done to determine the correct distribution ratios. It also included complying with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and making frequent trips to New York to meet with investors, he said.
"As you can imagine, the logistics of combining the two companies are monumental," Logistics aside, though, the interactive gaming meeting virtual reality means synchronizing the virtual reality experiences, sharpening the technical end and customizing promotions and advertisements for a wealth of potential clients, Haag said.
"It's a win, win, win situation," he said.
Contact Russell drussell@bizpress.net
©Fort Worth Business Press 2001
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1977543&BRD=1427&PAG=461&dept_id=185827&rf...