Multiplatform Ghostbusters release for US in June
Only Europe to be restricted to PlayStation exclusivity; no financial issues behind publishing decision, says Wilson
Atari Inc's CEO and president Jim Wilson has told GamesIndustry.biz that Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be released on all formats in North America June 16.
Earlier today, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe revealed that it had signed an exclusive deal to publish the PlayStation SKUs of the game in PAL territories next month, leaving the remaining Wii, DS, PC and Xbox 360 versions on hold.
"The Sony Computer Entertainment partnership is exclusive to Europe, Atari is going to be publishing on all platforms in the US on June 16," clarified Wilson.
"We assessed the situation of the Ghostbusters franchise in Europe and saw that a united partnership with Sony was the best approach to maximise the long-term value of the franchise. We have an opportunity here to have first-party support behind such a significant franchise and the opportunity to then go back and publish the other SKUs later on."
When asked whether financial problems were restricting a multiplatform release in Europe, Wilson replied, "No, not that I'm aware of". He also said that the release on other formats in the region would not be dependent on the success of the PlayStation versions.
Of the release on other formats, Wilson said that the company will "make an announcement sometime soon on the status of those platforms but we would expect them to go out later this year."
Atari will not rule out partnerships with other publishers or platform holders in the future, said Wilson, although there are no such plans in the immediate future.
"We're always looking for opportunities to maximise our franchises, so if they arrive and we think it's the best opportunity to maximise long-term value, then yes, we'll consider it. At this point, were not having any of those discussions, but we do consider them," he concluded.