Midway Home Entertainment Signs Exclusive Four-Year Deal With Arena Football League

Tuesday August 31, 1999

CHICAGO (August 31, 1999) -- Midway Home Entertainment, one of the industry ’ s leading video game publishers and developers, has signed an exclusive four-year contract with the Arena Football League to develop AFL-licensed football titles for multiple platforms, announced AFL Commissioner David Baker. The game is due for release prior to the 2000 season. The contract includes both domestic and international sales.

“The innovative and aggressive style that the Arena Football League has brought to the world of professional sports is a natural fit with the over-the-top, arcade-style game play that has made Midway’s sports titles so successful,” said Paula Cook, director of marketing at Midway Home Entertainment.

Midway was a prominent sponsor of the ArenaBowl XIII championship game on August 21. The Albany Firebirds defeated the Orlando Predators 59-48 in the nationally televised game on ABC Sports. Midway’s logo was featured on the 15-yard line.

"This project is indeed one of the most exciting in the history of Arena Football. We are thrilled to have Midway Games a part of our plan for year-round, worldwide, interactive football for a new generation” said Baker.

The premise for the Arena Football video game was Midway’s popular NFL Blitz video game, which plays seven-on-seven football and boasts, "No Refs. No Rules. No Mercy".

Regina Weckwerth, AFL director of corporate sponsorships, said, “The success of Midway's games has been phenomenal, and we are anxious to provide the same high-scoring, in-your-face excitement experienced at a live game, to our fans on video."

Arena Football teams and players and arenas will be represented within the game. Sponsor signage, including dasherboards, turf squares, and player signage (uniform patch, helmet logo) will also be available for sale through AFL Properties.

Midway Home Entertainment Inc. designs, markets, and distributes video games under the Midway trademark for home game platforms and personal computers. Midway Home Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a company engaged in the design, manufacture, and sale of coin-operated video games under the Midway and Atari trademarks.