SouthPeak CEO Melanie Mroz Provides Update to Shareholders
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Discussion Informs Investors, Speaks to Substantial Opportunities and Increased Growth Due to Strong Pipeline and Unique Business Model MIDLOTHIAN, Va.--(Business Wire)-- SouthPeak Interactive Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SOPK), one of the fastest growing video game publishers, today released an update to shareholders from Melanie Mroz, Chief Executive Officer, providing investors with management`s vision for the company in fiscal year 2010 and beyond. Fellow Shareholders: As CEO of SouthPeak Interactive, I thank you for taking a moment of your time to read our shareholder update. Our intent is to frequently inform current and potential investors of our progress and potential as we build the Company and achieve our mandate to consistently deliver exceptional shareholder value. We are confident that SouthPeak is uniquely positioned to continue to gain global market share, particularly with our focus on video game development through our highly tuned business model; just one of our competitive advantages. SouthPeak has consistently executed its business plan, resulting in a robust sales growth of over 500% during the past year, with revenues reaching $13.5 million in Q3 2009, compared to $2.2 million in Q3 2008. What separates SouthPeak from many of the largest game development companies, is our highly tuned independent out-sourcing model. Whereas most game production companies employ large video game developers or maintain costly development studios, most of our development is done using cost-efficient, external third party developers, which is reflected in our attractive operating margins. Although we are not opposed to performing in-house development under the right circumstances, by keeping a sufficient percentage of our work out-sourced, SouthPeak benefits from the robustness and flexibility of such a model. SouthPeak's diverse game library is available on every major console as well as the PC and appeals to virtually every consumer demographic, whether casual player or hardcore enthusiast. Sales continue to see strong momentum across all platforms and SouthPeak has also begun developing several games and applications for the rapidly growing iPhone market. SouthPeak`s upcoming trends and financial highlights include: * Business model focused on controlling costs and increased margins. * Increased revenue to $13.5 million in Q3 2009, over a 500% increase from $2.2 million in Q3 2008. * SouthPeak currently has over 60 titles under development for all platforms. * Several games in development for the iPhone. * Continued demand for My Baby makes it one of the best-selling titles on Nintendo DS. * Catalog titles accelerated SouthPeak`s growth, contributing to over 10% of sales. * Video game units sold were roughly 711,000 units in Q3 2009, an increase of over 497,000 units since Q3 2008. As one of the fastest growing independent video game publishers in the industry, SouthPeak is extremely well positioned to capitalize on the current and future opportunities in the ever expanding interactive entertainment market - which is quickly becoming the dominant form of media in the developed world. As widely reported, video game sales have significantly exceeded movie box office receipts for several years now, and the industry`s outstanding pace of growth is not expected to slow anytime soon. Revenue growth in the U.S. and Canada by the video game industry, minus hardware sales, will grow at an average rate of 5.8% annually over the next five years (1). Globally, the growth of the video game market will be even stronger, at a 7.4% compound annual rate, equating to a total market of $91 billion by 2015 (2). To give you a sense of the video game industry in comparison to other forms of media, even amid the recession, the average consumer spends one of every three entertainment dollars on video games, more than they spend on any other form of entertainment (3). Now more than ever, computer and video games represent the entertainment industry`s most highly sought-after asset. As you may already know, SouthPeak has received recognition in the industry, with many of our highly anticipated titles receiving rave reviews and critical acclaim. In fact, during this year`s E3 Expo 2009, SouthPeak`s titles won "Best Strategy Game" and "Best Puzzle Game" by 411mania.com. In addition, Trine, which was recently announced as a new SouthPeak publishing deal earlier this week, won GameSpot Editors' Choice Award for "Best Downloadable Game." Undoubtedly the quality of SouthPeak`s titles is being noticed and demand is expected to be strong. Not only are we growing in North America, SouthPeak`s reach is expanding internationally as well, with a new dedicated office opened in Leicester, England in late 2008, numerous distribution deals being executed throughout Europe, as well as companies such as Ubisoft who are assisting with publishing and distribution in the Japanese and Asian markets. Over the next year, SouthPeak will be continually adding new distribution partners and working with leading players in the gaming industry to continue our path of rapid expansion in the global video game market. All of these initiatives and those to come will be executed by SouthPeak`s senior management team, which has over 30 years of combined experience. Our Chairman, Terry Philips, and I have represented a variety of video game publishers such as Sony, Capcom, and Take-Two, and we have been involved in the sales launch of literally hundreds of video games including such well known franchises as Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Gran Turismo. While SouthPeak`s growth to date has been impressive, the future looks outstanding. As we continue to build the Company, our primary focus will be to manage responsible growth and deliver the kind of shareholder value investors have come to expect from a high-growth interactive entertainment company such as SouthPeak. I thank you for your support and continued interest in SouthPeak. For further and ongoing information, please visit our website at www.southpeakgames.com. For access to our latest Investor Fact Sheet, as well as future interviews and industry information, go to www.trilogy-capital.com/autoir/sopk_autoir.html. I look forward to communicating with you again soon. Best Regards, Melanie Mroz Chief Executive Officer SouthPeak Interactive (1) PricewaterhouseCoopers; (2) Global Industry Analysts; (3) NPD Group About SouthPeak Interactive Corporation SouthPeak Interactive Corporation develops and publishes interactive entertainment software for all current hardware platforms including: PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, Wii, Nintendo DS and PC. SouthPeak's games cover all major genres including action/adventure, role playing, racing, puzzle strategy, fighting and combat. SouthPeak's products are sold in retail outlets in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. SouthPeak is headquartered in Midlothian, Virginia, and has offices in Grapevine, Texas and Leicester, England. For a comprehensive investor relations portal complete with fact sheets, presentations, interviews and video (when available), please navigate to: www.trilogy-capital.com/autoir/sopk_autoir.html For additional information, please visit SouthPeak`s corporate website: www.southpeakgames.com This release contains "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These are statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "may," "will," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "intends," "plans," "should," "seeks," and similar expressions. This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, SouthPeak`s expectations and assumptions concerning future financial performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described in SouthPeak`s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copyright © 2009 SouthPeak Interactive LLC. "SouthPeak", "SouthPeak Interactive", "SouthPeak Games" and their related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SouthPeak Interactive LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved. Trine © 2009 Frozenbyte, Inc. Developed by Frozenbyte, Inc. Nobilis Publishing and its logo are registered trademarks of Nobilis group. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. Company Contact: SouthPeak Games Scott Silverman, 516-318-4978 ssilverman@southpeakgames.com or Financial Communications Contact: Trilogy Capital Partners Darren Minton, Vice President Toll-free: 800-592-6067 info@trilogy-capital.com Copyright Business Wire 2009
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