Gaming's original ladies' man and lovable loser goes to college in Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that the next installment in the best-selling Leisure Suit Larry franchise, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is scheduled for release on next-generation consoles and the PC in late 2004.

The Leisure Suit Larry videogame franchise began in 1987 with The Land of the Lounge Lizards, the first of seven games in the series. Since then, the Leisure Suit Larry games have sold millions of units worldwide and its games are considered collector items.

"For years, gamers worldwide have begged us to create another Leisure Suit Larry game, so it gives me great pleasure to finally reveal the new installment in the series," said Philip O'Neil, SVP Sales & Marketing, Vivendi Universal Games. "Thanks to the hard work of the game's designers at VU Games and High Voltage Software, Magna Cum Laude will build upon the popularity of the PC franchise and extend the Leisure Suit Larry experience to console gamers."

"Inspired by films like American Pie and There's Something About Mary, the game is packed full of outrageous humor and raucous game-play," said Nicholas Longano, Group VP Marketing, Vivendi Universal Games. "We have captured the distinctive style and feel of the original series, while taking the humor and visuals to a level that hasn't been seen before. With all these ingredients combined we are sure it will please old and new fans alike."

Developed by High Voltage Software, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is the coming of age story about Larry Lovage, nephew of Larry Laffer, the series' original lovable loser. In Magna Cum Laude, Lovage starts as a pathetic loser enrolled at Community College who spends most of his time in his dorm room, or on campus striking out with women. After hearing about a reality TV dating show visiting his college campus, he resolves to revitalize his life and win. Over the course of the game, Larry sets out on an epic search for love (or its equivalent) and finds that things don't always go as planned.

"Our team has been having a lot of fun bringing Leisure Suit Larry back - meeting the high expectations associated with this license is an exciting challenge," said Josh VanVeld, Producer, High Voltage Software, Inc. "We're confident that Larry will make a huge splash when he comes to consoles and the PC next Fall."

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude was the subject of a cover story in Computer Games Magazine and a feature story in Game Informer's December 2003 issue.