Malice hammers the waves of the Solitaire du Figaro 2002
Posted by benadmin on Friday, August 16 2002

Vélizy, July 18, 2002 - The 33rd French Figaro Solitaire Regatta, Solitaire du Figaro, will set sail on August 2nd, 2002. Some 40 skippers will compete throughout August on European waters. Vivendi Universal Games will be part of this great adventure once again with its favourite skipper, Christophe de Pavant, otherwise known as Kito, who will be escorted by Malice, the new character from Sierra Entertainment. Kito will be aiming to improve upon last year's performance of finishing 9th overall.

When it came to associate another of its popular characters to such a challenging and prestigious event, Malice was the obvious choice of VU Games. A brand new console-based character, Malice is cool, witty, courageous, strong and set to hammer the video games industry! After her summer cruise, Malice will make her full debut on Microsoft Xbox™ and Sony PlayStation®2 this autumn.

"Last year, we arrived on the games console market and we promised then to grow through innovation, and Malice perfectly illustrates the creativity of our development studio." comments Christophe Ramboz, President & COO of VU Games International, who initiated the project. "We are extremely pleased to be associated with such a major event, as it will focus the attention of the public on Malice who is such a dynamic character. This sponsorship reflects our own philosophy of combining fun and creativity with the ultimate challenge that tests the player limits, exactly the same values that you find in sailing." he adds.

"Malice is the most anticipated character-based game of 2002" says Michael Fuller, Senior Vice-President Marketing and Strategy of VU Games International. "We are confident that this franchise will seduce gamers of all levels and ages. We are delighted to see such a fun and witty character associated to a well-known and intense boat race such as the Solitaire du Figaro. It is a challenge Malice can face."

Launched in 1970, the Solitaire du Figaro has become one of the main races in the nautical events calendar over the years. Known to be very complex and intense, it is very demanding from a tactical and physical point of view. It is a human adventure and a race to be remembered.
This year again, the Solitaire du Figaro is comprised of 4 legs. From France to Spain via Ireland, the skippers will be able to test themselves in an event tailor-made for the best sailors, with 1 691 miles to cover. At each of the stops, the skippers will have the opportunity to enjoy the different countries' unique environments and special characteristics.


Boulogne-sur-Mer will be hosting the prologue (August 2nd) and the departure of the Solitaire du Figaro (August 4th)

Cork (Ireland) will be hosting the first stopover of the race on August 8th, with a departure for the next host town on August 11th

Sables d'Olonne will welcome our skippers on August 15th and see them off to Ireland on August 18th

Gijón (Spain) will be the next host town with arrival scheduled on August 21st before facing the final challenge of the longest leg on August 25th

Cherbourg (Normandy) will host the finish on August 29th and the postlog on August 31st

For more details, visit the race official website http://www.lefigaro.fr/lasolitaire/

About Kito
No novice at navigating, Christophe de Pavant, otherwise known as Kito (aged 40) began sailing with his father at the age of 12 and participated in his first world championships when he was 16. He took part in numerous charters in the Antilles and the Mediterranean Sea, several scientific missions on the Tanganyka lake and crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a number of occasions. Numerous convoys helped him fine-tune his nautical skills, while managing a family business. A couple of years ago, Kito decided to take part in more and more races. Today, as he waves goodbye to his five kids and his wife, Kito embarks on his 2nd big challenge to improve upon last year's performance, where he ranked 12th and scooped up a remarkable 2nd place in the newcomer division, on a boat also sponsored by Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International.

About Sierra Entertainment
Sierra On-Line, Inc., a studio of Vivendi Universal Publishing and part of its Games division, is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams, Sierra™ is renowned for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles that represent a wide variety of computer entertainment on both next generation console and PC platforms. Sierra On-Line, Inc. is currently the largest in-house software developer in the United States and is in partnership with a variety of industry leading development groups.