Anki Strengthens Its Leadership Bench With Entertainment Industry Veterans From Activision And EA

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Anki, the creator of the cutting-edge battle-car racing game Anki DRIVE, is taking its inaugural product to the next level with the help of two visionaries from the interactive entertainment industry. The company today announced it has appointed Joby Otero, former creative director for Activision's Skylanders, as its Chief Creative Officer, along with Craig Rechenmacher, a veteran of Electronic Arts, as its Chief Marketing Officer. The pair will put Anki DRIVE into the fast lane as it races toward delivering a more robust interactive experience for players of all ages. Anki is strengthening its gaming foundation and creative vision to bring a completely new dynamic to the interactive toy space.

Anki DRIVE is a first-of-its-kind battle-racing game that lets players use a mobile app to race and customize real battle-equipped cars - alone or against friends. The next evolution in the "toys-to-life" category, each Anki DRIVE car features a built-in 50-mhz computer and camera under its hood. Powered by robotics, this technology gives each vehicle the ability to steer and battle for itself, as the robot racers fight to outsmart their human competition. In addition, players can upgrade each car with its own arsenal of destructive weapons and high tech gadgets including speed boosts, powered-up weapons and impenetrable shields. No two cars are the same and every battle is a different race to the finish line.

"Anki DRIVE delivers an intense racing videogame experience in the real world as players battle against their friends and robot racers," said Boris Sofman, Anki founder and CEO. "Only with the power of robotics can we help usher in a new way of interactive play, one that exists in both the physical and virtual world. The team of videogame veterans we've assembled at Anki will help usher in richer gameplay environments, new character and story developments, and unique gameplay features that will only make the Anki DRIVE experience that much more exciting and unique."

Otero is a 23-year veteran of the games industry – having worked on nearly every genre and in nearly every aspect of development as both a studio head and publishing executive. Most recently he was Vice President of Art and Technology at Activision where he was a key leader driving the creation of the multi-billion dollar Skylanders franchise – the first product to successfully combine toys and videogames.

Rechenmacher has 17 years of experience driving brand, product, digital marketing and business development at leading global interactive entertainment and gaming companies. He most recently held a position as Chief Marketing Officer of Slacker Radio, the world's most complete music service. Prior to Slacker, Rechenmacher was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Origin, EA's direct-to-consumer digital distribution platform. During his seven years at the company, he led global marketing efforts for EA's Partners and Games Label division, working on key titles including Rock Band, Need for Speed, Dead Space and The Godfather.

Anki DRIVE is currently available on iOS and Android devices. For the full list of current device compatibility, go here. Be sure to check out the new price of Anki DRIVE Starter Kits ($149.99 in the US and Canada) and expansion cars ($49.99 in the US and Canada).

See the trailer here: http://youtu.be/IbJOm3RXs3Y?list=UUmKJa5Oq034X68K-FTIgR3A

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About Anki
Anki is dedicated to bringing consumer robotics into everyday life, building on decades of scientific research to make artificial intelligence accessible to everyone. Founded in 2010 by Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute graduates, Anki creates consumer experiences using technology that once was confined to robotics labs and research institutes. Its first product, Anki DRIVE, is now on sale in the United States, Canada and the UK.

SOURCE Anki

Related Links

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