January 14, 2005 - Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) today announced that Act of War: Direct Action, a near-future, geopolitical techno-thriller for PC, will have a story created and written by New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown and will feature nearly one hour of original, live-action feature film footage produced by SWAT Films/Beyond FX to vividly present the story.

"SWAT Films theatrical interpretation of Dale Brown's intense story gives Act of War: Direct Action a dramatic sense of authenticity and creates a truly immersive entertainment experience," said Bob Welch, Executive Producer for Atari's Beverly studio. "By bringing together a novelist, filmmakers and game developers, Act of War: Direct Action is more than the sum of its parts."

"Producing nearly an hour of live-action film, as well as special effects for Atari's Act of War: Direct Action was an exciting creative challenge," said Daniel LeBlanc, Executive Producer, SWAT Films. "Our team had to produce film content to tell the game's story in the traditional between-levels format while also sharing with players what was going on behind the scenes with voiceover and shorter film clips streamed to players mid-game. The goal was to draw them in with the story and let the game blow them away and there's no doubt we've done just that."

The film production element of Act of War: Direct Action was shot over two weeks and featured a cast of 10 principal actors and hundreds of extras. The film footage will be blended with scenes created by the in-game engine to tell the story of Jason Richter and Task Force Talon as they discover a web of intrigue and terrorism that spans the globe from Moscow to Washington, D.C. Act of War: Direct Action is due for release on PC in March 2005.