MIKE TYSON RETURNS TO THE RING – IN WWE® ’13
Renowned “Baddest Man on the Planet” to Make Flagship WWE Videogame Franchise Debut Through Exclusive Pre-Order Offer
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. June 19, 2012 The campaign premise of “Live the Revolution” continues, as THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced the return of the incomparable Mike Tyson to the ring – virtually – in WWE® ’13, the revolutionary next installment in the WWE flagship videogame franchise. Often touted as the “baddest man on the planet,” the boxing legend and former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world will be available as an exclusive playable character for consumers who pre-order the videogame at any participating retailer in the United States or Canada for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system or the Wii™ system from Nintendo (while supplies last).
Tyson made headlines with WWE (NYSE: WWE) in early 1998 as part of the company’s groundbreaking “Attitude Era,” a time period prominently featured in WWE ’13 through a brand new single-player campaign. He is best remembered for his appearances leading up to and at WrestleMania® XIV, where he was recruited by D-Generation X (DX) to serve as a ringside enforcer during the main event match between DX member Shawn Michaels® and Stone Cold Steve Austin® for the WWE Championship. Tyson, sporting a sleeveless DX t-shirt and black jeans – the same look as his playable character in WWE ’13 – interfered in the match, allowing Austin to secure the victory and ultimately abandoning his presumed alliance with the renegade faction. Tyson returned to WWE on January 11, 2010 as a guest host on Monday Night Raw® and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2, 2012.
“As one of the most dominant champions in boxing history and one of the most memorable guests to ever be featured on WWE programming, Mike Tyson led an incredible revolution that changed the way fans perceive the sport,” said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President, Global Brand Management, THQ. “He was a tremendous addition to the ‘Attitude Era’ and is certain to attract a wide variety of fans to ‘live the revolution’ offered in WWE ’13.”
“The baddest man on the planet is back – and only in WWE ’13,” said Mike Tyson. “Fans everywhere can now relive what I experienced during the ‘Attitude Era.’”
About WWE ’13
Positioned to offer the most authentic, extensive and fervent experience to date, WWE ’13 will transform gameplay through WWE Live™, a brand-new audio and presentation system designed to produce the most authentic and vibrant commentary, sound effects and crowd participation levels ever heard in a WWE videogame. In addition, players will experience the atmosphere, spectacle and fervor of a WWE live event through attention-grabbing Spectacular Moments, including ring breaks and barricade crashes.
WWE ’13 will also debut a franchise-first single player campaign based on an unparalleled and groundbreaking period in WWE history: the “Attitude Era.” Set during a time of pure raucousness, grandiose personalities and colossal revolution, players will focus on eight purveyors of attitude during the famed television “Monday Night Wars,” including WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Predator Technology™ 2.0, driven by new animations, transitions and modified controls, will return to deliver intelligent, fluid and engaging WWE action, resulting in a smoother gameplay experience than its predecessors. As well, the popular career-style mode, WWE Universe, will dynamically introduce matches, alliances, rivalries and unpredictable moments based on player decisions along the path toward becoming a WWE champion.
WWE ’13 will feature the franchise’s industry-defining Creation Suite, enabling players to develop and customize Superstars, entrances, arenas, finishing moves, storylines, highlight reels and more, as well as share and download creations with others from around the world. Furthermore, they will compete with a vast array of WWE Superstars and “Attitude Era” luminaries from the largest roster in franchise history, including cover Superstar CM Punk®, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Sheamus®, Undertaker®, Mankind™, Chris Jericho®, Big Show® and Mark Henry®. Along with to-be-announced features, a comprehensive roster reveal, downloadable content and big surprises, WWE ’13 is poised to live a revolution all its own.
WWE ’13 is currently scheduled for release on October 30, 2012 in North America. For more information, please visit wwe.thq.com, facebook.com/WWEgames and twitter.com/WWEgames.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo. Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
