Disney announces Atlantis prequel

Disney Interactive has announced that it will give away 12 million copies of a 3D online multiplayer game as an introduction to its upcoming film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The promotion marks the largest free distribution of an interactive game to date. In addition to serving as an introduction to the film, which will open in theaters in mid-June, the game will serve as an introduction to the retail PC game, Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Trial by Fire, which is scheduled for release in mid-May.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Search for the Journal takes place 13 years before the beginning of the film. Players search Iceland as part of a team of adventurers looking for an ancient book that holds the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis. The journal is guarded in an ancient Viking labyrinth by a group of dangerous keepers. The first-person action game includes both single- and multiplayer modes.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Trial by Fire follows the same story as the upcoming film. The team of adventurers has been reassembled to find the lost city of Atlantis. Players must fight off the powerful Leviathan, brave flaming mazes, and outsmart deadly traps. Once they reach the city, they find that they must save the ancient empire from destruction by finding and activating four mystical stones.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Search for the Journal is now available for free through several outlets, including Walgreens Photo Centers and specially marked boxes of Kellogg's Corn Pops cereal. For more information, visit the official Disney Interactive Web site.