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London launch for Taito's Silver Anniversary Space Invaders
Taito Corporation has chosen the London-based ATEI to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Space Invaders, regarded by gaming and social commentators as the world's most renowned video game phenomenon.
To mark the occasion the Tokyo-based company is producing three special edition Silver Anniversary arcade models, which also include another Taito classic game, QIX. The upright, cabaret and cocktail cabinets will be unveiled on the Namco Europe stand (810/910) at ATEI 2004, Earls Court, London on 27-29 January 2004. Namco Europe is the exclusive distributor for this game throughout Europe.
A range of Silver Anniversary Space Invaders branded consumer goods, including a CASIO watch and VANS fashion footwear, has already been launched in summer 2003, and is being supported by a high-profile advertising campaign in leading fashion, music and gaming titles. The consumer marketing campaign also includes broadcast adverts at selected London Underground stations.
Taito is planning an exclusive party to celebrate the dual trade and consumer launch, which will be staged at London's prestigious St Martin's Lane Hotel during ATEI week.
First launched by Taito in 1978, Space Invaders achieved worldwide sales of 360,000 arcade units and was the first arcade game to be licensed for home use when it was released for the Atari platform in 1980. The most recent home console edition, Space Invaders Anniversary, was released on the Sony PlayStation2 platform in 2003 and the latest incarnations have already begun to appear on mobile devices such as cellular phones – through providers including Vodafone and Telefonica – and portable game devices manufactured by Nokia and Motorola.
Kenji Horii, General Manager of Taito Corporation's Overseas Division, said: "For 25 years Space Invaders has existed as a global brand, influencing popular culture and inspiring artists and designers in many different fields. We are very proud of our achievements in exporting this unique part of modern Japanese culture throughout the world."
"The Silver Anniversary editions have been developed not only for their nostalgic appeal but are also designed to bring the Space Invaders experience to a new generation of gamers."
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