Melbourne Cup Horse Racing Game Announced (News)

GamePro staff, GamePro Australia

04/07/2005 10:31:03

Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) has announced the development of a new horse racing video game, Melbourne Cup Challenge. for PS2, Xbox and PC.

"The Emirates Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the nation", said David Robles, Business Development Manager for HES. "We will deliver the same level of excitement, passion, and glamour of the horse racing industry through Melbourne Cup Challenge".

Victoria Racing Club Chief Executive, Dale Monteith, whose organisation stages the Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington said "The Club is delighted to be associated with Home Entertainment Suppliers. We hope the game will help spread the word about Australia's most famous race to a new audience in Australia and around the world. The game will no doubt excite players and encourage them to come to Flemington. I'm sure it will be well received by game players looking for a challenge and the chance to own their very own Melbourne Cup winner, even if it is only in a virtual environment", Monteith said.

The features of Melbourne Cup Challenge include: Official licenses including access to the Emirates Melbourne Cup Race, Flemington Race Course, Classic Caulfield, The Caulfield Cup, Royal Ascot Race Course and leading jockey Frankie Dettori; Multiplayer online play for all platforms; Multiple game modes including Career Mode, Jockey Challenge and Betting Party; In depth Career Mode including auctions, horse breeding, training, and stable management; Highly detailed graphics including realistic horses and jockeys, weather effects, and accurately modelled Australian and international racecourses and lifelike horse and jockey animation, motion captured by Weta Digital, the visual effects wizards behind The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

"Our studio is delighted to be working on another strong sports franchise with HES" said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, the development studio behind the title. "Melbourne Cup Challenge is an opportunity for us to raise the bar in the horse racing gaming genre by providing ease of accessibility and superior graphical realism".

Melbourne Cup Challenge is expected for release on PS2, Xbox and PC in Australasia in November 2005 under 'Tru Blu Games', the publishing division of HES. The title will also be released in Europe under the name "Frankie Dettori Racing".