Playtech to develop "Cowboys & Aliens" slot machine

LOS ANGELES, California -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Platinum Studios, Inc., an entertainment company that controls an international library of more than 5,000 comic book characters which it adapts, produces and licenses for all forms of media, is proud to announce that it has licensed its New York Times best-selling graphic novel "Cowboys & Aliens" to Playtech, the international designer, developer and licenser of software to the online and land-based gaming industry.

As part of a multi-year licensing deal, a Cowboys & Aliens slot game based on the bestselling graphic novel will be the first launch under the agreement. For Playtech, this follows in the success of their branded slots from Marvel Comics and currently represents the only other comic book based property in its branded casino game portfolio. The full launch, scheduled for Summer 2012, will include multiple gaming sites throughout multiple markets across the globe.

Platinum Studios licensed the Cowboys & Aliens live action film rights to DreamWorks, which Universal Pictures released in North America and Paramount Pictures released internationally. According to IMDBpro, the film has now grossed over $170 million worldwide, not including DVD, television and other mediums.

The feature film version of Cowboys & Aliens is soon to be released on Blu-ray, DVD and other formats. The film stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde, is directed by Jon Favreau ("Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2"), and executive produced by Steven Spielberg and produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Rosenberg.

Platinum Studios' CEO and creator of Cowboys & Aliens, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, said: "Gaming is a whole new playing field for us, and perfectly follows Cowboys & Aliens' success at the box office." Rosenberg also added: "I'm looking forward to people playing Cowboys & Aliens slots from their living room!"

Playtech's Head of Content Sagi Harari said: "Playtech is excited to introduce Cowboys & Aliens to the online gaming scene. This comic book fits in well with our existing branded games portfolio, since it is instantly recognizable due to the great success of the movie, and it also lends itself to visually impressive games. Powerful branded games are in high demand, and fans as well as casino-game players will be thrilled to experience our new offering."

Cowboys & Aliens, which tells the story of an alien invasion in 19th century, is just one of the properties Platinum Studios controls among a multi-universe library of over 5,000 comic characters. While other large comics-based libraries are already spoken for, Platinum Studios remains independent of major entertainment studio affiliation. Marvel was recently acquired by Disney for $4 Billion, and is the second major comic library to be acquired by a Hollywood studio. DC Comics, which is owned by Warner Bros., recently announced a newly-revamped business model, focusing on reaching deeper into DC's catalog of characters.