ESPN to offer computer games via Disney, Konami
Disney Interactive and ESPN team with technology firm Konami in a deal aimed at combining two of the most popular things on the Net: sports and computer games.
Under the deal, the firms will produce a line of ESPN sports games for video game consoles and PCs, the companies said. The alliance plans to release ten titles in 2000.
The deal comes as demand is increasing for games for both PCs and game consoles. Just yesterday, Sega Enterprises updated its forecast for sales of its new Dreamcast video game console. The company expects to sell 1.5 million units of the console in the United States by the end of the year--50 percent more than it previously forecast. Sega sold 750,862 units of Dreamcast between its September 9 release and October 31, the company said.
Major League Baseball and NBA Basketball for Sega Dreamcast and Major League Soccer for Sony PlayStation are expected first in the spring. Other titles to follow in the fall will include licensed league sports and games based on ESPN programming.
"Through ESPN's position as the worldwide leader in sports and Konami's worldwide leadership as an innovator of interactive games, we will present the most compelling sports games on the market," George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN, said in a statement. "These games will raise the level of excitement for fans and their virtual involvement in sports."