THQ Announces Multiplatform Cars Follow Up

Officials from THQ have announced plans to follow up the success of the company's Pixar-licensed Cars game with Cars Mater-National for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance. Scheduled for release this fall, Cars Mater-National is currently in development at THQ's Rainbow Studios, the same studio responsible for the original Cars title, as well as the MX Unleashed racing franchise. According to THQ, Cars Mater-National will again be set within the film's rural burg of Radiator Springs, and will include new characters competing for a chance to compete against Lightning McQueen in the First Annual Mater-National Race Festival. Players will explore the open world of Radiator Springs, complete with new tracks, mini-games and more than 10 multiplayer games. THQ has enjoyed a lucrative partnership with Disney-Pixar, with company officials noting that to date the alliance has resulted in more than 30 million units shipped worldwide. Of these titles, Cars has proven to be the most successful, having shipped more than seven million units globally, making the game not only the fastest selling Disney-Pixar video game to date, but also, according to THQ, the second overall top selling video game release in 2006.