Tantalus Interactive used the annual Australian Game Developer's Conference (AGDC) in Melbourne, Australia to promote its recent releases, and to reveal some of its plans for 2005.
Tantalus ended 2004 with the release of two more high-profile titles for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies and The Polar Express both made it into stores in November. Based on the immensely popular Nickelodeon franchise, Attack of the Twonkies is the first Jimmy Neutron title developed by Tantalus. The Polar Express draws inspiration from the illustrated children's book and major Hollywood feature film of the same name. The Game Boy Advance version allows players to experience this Christmas-themed journey of wonder and discovery first-hand.
The year began for Tantalus with the release of the highly acclaimed Unreal 2 on Xbox. Unreal 2 was one of the most anticipated shooters of 2004, and debuted among the Top 5 selling Xbox games in the world. It was also the first ever Australian-developed online console game. Tantalus is presently developing titles for 2005 release on PlayStation2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, and Nokia N-Gage.
Tantalus CEO Tom Crago said that while 2004 had been a great year for the company, 2005 showed even greater signs of promise. "Obviously we're very excited about the release of the DS and PSP", said Crago. "As a company we've shipped over 20 titles across all platforms, and our recent success in the handheld space has positioned us perfectly for these new platforms. I would expect to see at least 3 next-generation handheld titles from Tantalus on the shelves by the end of 2005."
Crago today also exclusively announced that Tantalus is in development of a major new N-Gage title, to be published by Nokia in 2005.
Tantalus continues to develop wireless games through its Kuala Lumpur based subsidiary Tantalus Asia. Just this week the company released HRT Racing with Atari, which is set to become one of the biggest selling wireless titles of the year in Australia.