Atari and Marc Ecko Tab Hip-Hop Star Talib Kweli to Provide Lead Voice

Atari and Marc Ecko Tab Hip-Hop Star Talib Kweli to Provide Lead Voice over for 'Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure'

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    Business Editors/Entertainment Editors/Video Game Writers
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    NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2005--

    'Student of Truth' Provides Authentic Voice for Protagonist, Trane

    Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) today announced hip-hop artist Talib Kweli will be the voice of Trane, the lead character in Atari's new video game, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. The video game promises to be an homage to graffiti's rich culture and represents the culmination of seven years of story and character development by fashion pioneer Marc Ecko, himself a former graffiti artist with deep ties to the urban community.
    Known for his evocative and compelling lyrics, Kweli has recently released the critically acclaimed The Beautiful Struggle (2004) album and has toured with renowned artists and producers such as Mos Def, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Beastie Boys. As Trane, Kweli is providing the voice for an outcast and rebel determined to establish his credibility in the politically oppressive city of New Radius, but who ultimately becomes the unlikely leader of an urban revolution.
    "Because a video game has a hip-hop soundtrack doesn't automatically make it a true representation of urban life. The urban reality is about making your voice heard and with Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure we're looking to authentically capture that daily challenge in a highly engaging manner," said Marc Ecko, Executive Creative Director for Getting Up. "There is no better artist to help challenge the video game status quo and personify Trane than Talib, and we are excited to be adding his respected talent to our video game."
    The story's "Get IN, Get UP and Get OUT" gameplay mechanic offers players a unique combination of skills, including the sneak and street fighting abilities needed to battle through the city's rough streets and Get IN restricted areas; the dexterity and agility to scale any object in order to Get UP graffiti tags and spread the message of rebellion; and the ingenuity to evade, escape and Get OUT.
    Developed by The Collective, Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is scheduled for release in September 2005 for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system.

    About Marc Ecko Enterprises

    Marc Ecko founded *ecko unltd., the world-famous rhino brand in 1993. In 10 years, the company has grown into the largest urban apparel brand. Product categories include: *ecko unltd. men's and women's apparel, outerwear, footwear, watches, eyewear, underwear, belts, bags, hats, small leather goods, formalwear and more. Marc Ecko Enterprises also includes Marc Ecko (a premium collection of men's clothing and accessories), the G-Unit Clothing Company (a joint venture with multi-platinum musician, 50 Cent), Zoo York (a line of skateboards and skate-influenced clothing and accessories), Femme Arsenal (an upscale line of women's clothing, accessories, and cosmetics), and Fetish (a women's collection developed in conjunction with recording artist/actress Eve to re-launch Fall 2005). The company also publishes Complex magazine, a young men's consumer magazine with a rate base of 315,000. *ecko unltd. products are available in more than 5,000 stores domestically and more than 45 countries internationally. *ecko unltd. runs more than 25 of its own retail stores across the country.

    About The Collective

    Founded in 1997 by industry veterans, The Collective, Inc. is a leading developer of interactive entertainment software and technology for all major console and computer platforms. In recent years, the Collective has created groundbreaking 3rd person action adventure games, including the critically acclaimed Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb(TM) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer(TM) and the soon to be released Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith(TM). In the process, the studio has developed the world-class Slayer(TM) engine technology and SlayEd(TM) tool suite. The Collective is based in Newport Beach, California, and can be found on the Internet at www.collectivestudios.com.

    About Atari

    New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as DRIV3R(TM), Enter the Matrix(TM), Neverwinter Nights(TM), Stuntman(TM), Test Drive(R), Unreal(R) Tournament 2004, and Unreal(R) Championship; and mass-market and children's games such as Backyard Sports(TM), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM) and Dora the Explorer(TM), Dragon Ball Z(R) and RollerCoaster Tycoon(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR-0000052573), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.

    "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

    All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

    (R) 2004 Atari, Inc. All rights reserved.

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CONTACT: HighWater Group PR Tara Bruno, 212-338-0077 x302 tara@highwatergroup.com or Marc Ecko Enterprises Clint Cantwell, 917-262-1110 clintc@ecko.com

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD MUSIC ELECTRONIC GAMES/MULTIMEDIA SOFTWARE PRODUCT PHOTO PHOTOWIRE SOURCE: Atari, Inc. PHOTO: 36979

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