Aspyr Media announces The Shield, an upcoming PC and PS2 game based on the FX crime drama television series due for release this winter:

AUSTIN, TX (October 13, 2006) - Aspyr Media. Inc. today announced it has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising to publish the PC and Playstation 2™ game The Shield, which is based on the critically acclaimed and award-winning edgy police drama produced by Fox Television Studios and airing on the FX Network. Developed by Point of View, this third-person action game is a knockdown, drag’em-out brawler that takes place in the gritty inner city streets of Los Angeles. The Shield game brings the TV show to life by featuring the voices of several favorite cast members, including the series’ star and Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Michael Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey. Aspyr will release The Shield in North America and Europe this winter.

Players take on the role of Mackey, the tough, street-savvy leader of the Elite Strike Team, a special police unit located deep within the crime-riddled trenches of Los Angeles. Vic lives by his own code of ethics, neither bad nor good, and is a different kind of a cop who is willing to do what it takes to clean up the streets.

In The Shield game, players are able to dive into frenetic-paced gameplay and interact with the complex characters and unique locations that are key trademarks of the series. As Vic, the player will engage in perilous, true-to-life police work (busting crack dens, thwarting bank robberies, taking down gang bangers, apprehending serial killers). In order to succeed, they will need to operate outside the rules by intimidating suspects with brute force, accepting bribes, and holding incriminating information over other cops who don’t agree with Vic’s “ends justify the means” approach to fighting crime.

"The Shield game captures the spirit, atmosphere, and production values of the television series it’s based on, and with its millions of viewers and fans, it is the perfect product to be our foray into the PS2 market," said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President, Publishing for Aspyr.

The story of the game follows Detective Vic Mackey and the rest of the Elite Strike Team as they struggle to keep the streets of Los Angeles safe at all costs. Standing in their way are legions of gang bangers, drug dealers, pimps, mafia thugs and crooked politicians. However, Vic and the crew aren’t above breaking the rules when it comes to serving up their own brand of justice and keeping their self-interests intact.

More information about the game will be coming soon on Aspyr.com.