Are You Skilled Enough To Run A Dairy Queen?

DQ® Tycoon video game available at Target beginning Dec. 12

MINNEAPOLIS – Ever since Mark Cuban quipped that “Ed Rush might have been a great ref, but I wouldn’t hire him to run a Dairy Queen,” managing a Dairy Queen® store has become a gauge of business acumen.

Cuban accepted the challenge to run a Dairy Queen store for a day and now you too can test your skills at DQ® management with the launch of DQ® Tycoon which hits store shelves nationally at Target Stores on Friday, December 12, retailing for $19.99. The announcement of the new game comes just in time for the holiday season and was created by Minneapolis-based GameMill Entertainment and Spark Plug Games in close partnership with American Dairy Queen Corporation.

Also available for purchase online now through Big Fish Games (http://bigfishgames.com), DQ Tycoon will be included in the Scholastic Inc. January catalog which is distributed to nearly every school in the country.

“We are excited about DQ Tycoon, as it is a way for us to reach out to our fans and to consumers in a new, fun way,” said Tim Hawley, vice president of marketing, communications for American Dairy Queen Corporation. “This is a great last minute gift idea, particularly for video game fans.”

DQ Tycoon is one of the first PC time-management games to have a strong brand behind it. Throughout the game, players will create Blizzard® Flavor Treats, serve Dilly® Bars, and decorate the popular DQ Cakes. After store hours, players will manage the operation of up to four DQ stores, upgrading machines, managing staff, and keeping business running smoothly.

“Our goal was to create an entertaining game that also embraces the rich history of Dairy Queen and its place within the community,” said Brian Kirkvold, Executive Producer for GameMill Entertainment.

“In addition to the great excuse to visit our local Dairy Queen store for ‘research’ purposes, it is fantastic to be working on a strong brand that is recognized for its community involvement,” said John O’Neill, President of Spark Plug Games. “We are building a product that represents our passion to build entertaining games for the mass market.”

Although DQ Tycoon is rated E (for everyone), the game is equally fun for adults. According to Pew Research, “more than half of Americans age 18 and older (53 percent) play video games and about one-in-five (21 percent) play everyday or almost everyday.”

For more information about DQ Tycoon, visit http://bigfishgames.com/download-games/4526/dq-tycoon/index.htm. For more information, visit Dairy Queen’s Web site at http://dq.com.

###

About GameMill Entertainment:
GameMill Entertainment was established in 2001 and is located near Minneapolis. GameMill is a third party publisher of various Children’s and Casual games for the PC, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii. With continuous development spanning the globe, GameMill is a constant source of entertaining and fun games for all ages. Some of our best-selling titles include Puppy Luv, Hidden Mysteries: Civil War, Cooking Quest, Hidden Expedition: Titanic, and “Hidden Mysteries ™ Buckingham Palace.

About Spark Plug Games:
Spark Plug Games, LLC was established in January 2008, and was forged from a desire to build something greater than just another game company. Bringing together industry experience and a passion to create innovative casual products focused on a mass market audience, Spark Plug Games believes in building value through the investment into its people. Spark Plug Games is a registered developer for the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox360 video game consoles.
http://www.sparkpluggames.com

About IDQ:
International Dairy Queen (IDQ), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., develops licenses and services a system of more than 5,600 Dairy Queen® stores in the United States, Canada and foreign countries, offering dairy desserts, hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages. IDQ is part of the Berkshire Hathaway family, a company owned by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Following the successful roll out of DQ Grill & Chill®, Dairy Queen’s quick-service food concept that features an all-new expanded menu and newly designed restaurant interiors, Dairy Queen began testing the DQ® Orange Julius® concept in August 2005. DQ Orange Julius blends a sleek, new look with the feel of a traditional ice cream treat shop and offers an expanded treat menu that includes traditional DQ favorites, the Orange Julius line of smoothies and fruit drinks, and new signature desserts and sundaes.

Press Contact:
954-776-1999
Adam Singer, ext. 231
[email protected]
Chris Feeley, ext. 237
[email protected]