February 23^rd, 2005 (12:47pm) - Empire Interactive, a U.K. computer games developer and publisher, today announced that FlatOut will ship to retail outlets in the U.S. on June 14, 2005. Vivendi Universal Games, will distribute the title in the U.S. Available for PlayStation 2, Xbox and the PC, FlatOut has already received critical acclaim from leading game press and consumers in the U.K. and other European markets.

An over-the-top racing game, FlatOut features a unique all-encompassing physics engine that is set to define a new standard in racing games. With fully destructible driving environments, 40 deformable pieces on the cars and more than 3,000 items to smash, FlatOut is sure to bring carnage to unprecedented levels. Anything destroyed or altered stays a part of the race – broken fences, free rolling tires, and even mangled parts of cars are left scattered around the track, increasing the mayhem with every lap. Drivers will even be thrown from crashing cars.

FlatOut lets players experience the drive of their life with 36 challenging tracks and 12 bonus events in one of 16 fully upgradeable cars. Mini-games maximize the fun, and include three destruction derby arenas, three head-on collision dirt tracks and six outrageous “Rag Doll Olympics” bonus games that utilize driver ejection to the fullest.

Developed by Bugbear Entertainment, FlatOut will carry a suggested retail price of $49.99 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions and $39.99 for the PC version.