Stubbs the Zombie, published by Aspyr Media and the first game to be developed and released from Alex Seropian's new company Wideload Games, will begin shipping on October 17th.

AUSTIN, TX (October 14, 2005) - The Zombie invasion has begun! Aspyr Media and Wideload Games today announced that the Xbox version of Stubbs the Zombie will begin shipping to retailers nationwide next week. In this third-person action game, players take on the role of the rebel himself - Stubbs, a wisecracking Zombie who takes on an ultra-modern city of the future using nothing but his own carcass and the weapons of his possessed enemies. The game's tongue-in-cheek humor, innovative combat, strong storyline and co-op gameplay option keep Stubbs the Zombie's gameplay completely unpredictable. Using the Halo engine, the game, which is rated M for Mature, has a SRP of $49.99. In November, Aspyr will continue the carnage with the release of PC and Mac versions of the game.

With as many humorous twists and turns as flying body parts, the Stubbs the Zombie game lets players control Stubbs as he lurches through several environments in and around Punchbowl, PA, a perfect city free of crime and pollution and full of hover cars and helper-robots. Pandemonium ensues as Stubbs stocks up on 'brainfood' from unwilling Punchbowl residents, who include militia men, riot cops, prisoners and many more. Once attacked by Stubbs, they become part of Stubbs' minions and help him in his battles, which erupt everywhere from farms to police stations to the Punchbowl plaza. Players can choose to play as Stubbs alone, or grab a friend named Grubbs for multiplayer co-op action. And through it all, players piece together the amazing and surprising storyline of how Stubbs came to be a Zombie - a story of true undying love.

"After two years of keeping him cooped up in our office, it's a pleasure to send Stubbs out into the world," said Alexander Seropian, founder and president of Wideload Games. "This is the first game for both Stubbs and Wideload, but he's already become America's favorite undead traveling salesman thanks to his unique blend of bloody action and black humor."

"From wickedly tongue-in-cheek jokes to a rocking retro soundtrack to gameplay that players can really sink their teeth into, Stubbs the Zombie offers up great entertainment for any game player," said Michael Rogers, president of Aspyr.

The Story

Before his premature death, Edward "Stubbs" Stubblefield was just another traveling salesman trying to get by during the Great Depression. His lifelong losing streak reached its logical conclusion when he was brutally murdered and ignominiously buried in a remote Pennsylvania field. Flash forward to 1959. It is opening day of Punchbowl, PA, "City of the Future" when Stubbs decides to make his "grave" entrance and he is HUNGRY...for brains.

The Weapons

Stubbs has many weapons at his disposal to help build his Zombie hordes. These include:

* Conversion - Death is not the end! When Stubbs kills an enemy, they become one of his zombie followers. These zombies will attack humans when possible and attempt to follow Stubbs in his crusade. Building and maintaining a horde of zombies is a key game strategy and crucial to beating the game's biggest encounters.
* The Hand - Stubbs can detach his hand, throw it and control the hand as a separate character. The hand is faster than humans, can go places where Stubbs can't fit, is expendable (so it can be sent into certain death), and can possess human characters.
* Possession - Using his detached arm, Stubbs can possess human characters, which gives him access to their weapons, speed, and other abilities.
* Gut Grenade - Stubbs can throw gut grenades - a ranged area-of-effect weapon. He can reach into his gut, pull out some viscera and lob it like a grenade to cause damage and stun opponents.
* Unholy Flatulence - Stubbs can unleash unholy flatulence - a local, last ditch area-of-effect attack that will kill humans in the immediate vicinity.
* Zombie Strength - Stubbs' super-strength allows him to smash through boarded-up doors and lay waste with his powerful melee attacks to the humans cowering behind it.
* Bowling Heads -- Strike! Stubbs can bowl his head into enemies and strategically detonate it. After the head explodes, it turns anyone in the vicinity into a zombie.

The Soundtrack

Released by Shout! Factory, Stubbs The Zombie: The Soundtrack is filled with brand new versions of songs made famous in Stubbs' own time and sung by current and popular indie bands and artists, such as Death Cab for Cutie, Flaming Lips, Cake, Ben Kweller, and more. As a bonus, the zombie-inspired track "The Living Dead" found on the Stubbs the Zombie soundtrack album was written specifically for the game by Phantom Planet and can't be found anywhere else.

Jason's Comments: California! California! Here we come! - Phantom Planet reference