Rage clinches Rocky deal

Fans of Rocky will once again be able to take ringside seats and watch their hero box, following a deal announced today by computer group Rage Software.

The Liverpool firm has licensed the computer and video games rights to produce games based on all five of the Rocky movies.

The four-year agreement, with film giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, coincides with the 25th anniversary of the original Rocky film which won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976.

MGM plans, this year, to re-issue special editions of the Rocky collection on DVD and video in recognition of the films and their global appeal.

Paul Finnegan, managing director of Rage, said: "We consider Rocky to be one of the most entertaining and enduring movie series ever produced. Rocky offers the complete package; a great story, great acting and great music. Now there will be a great game to compliment it.

"We plan to create a major gaming franchise that utilises the strengths of the license."

Rage’s games will be available on Sony PlayStation2 and Microsoft’s XBox, among others.

Today’s deal is also part of Rage’s strategy to focus its game development on well-known personalities, and comes a month after it brought England football captain, David Beckham, on board to help relaunch its Striker games.

Shares sparked 32% following the announcement, rising 1¾p to 7¼p.