Start-up Studio Reviewed Middleware Market for Superior Wii™ Capabilities
CALABASAS, Calif. – Dec. 4, 2008 – Stickmen Studios has chosen Emergent’s Gamebryo for its WiiWare™ title Dragon Master Spell Caster. The New Zealand based developer selected Gamebryo after a comprehensive evaluation of the technology that would best serve their launch title while also providing a path for future development.
Stickmen Studios’ primary criterion was a development technology that would maximize the Wii console’s 3D graphics performance and easily integrate with other development tools. The studio also needed middleware that would allow iterations of the title on different platforms and the ability to work in other genres for future projects.
After an exhaustive review of the industry, Stickmen selected Gamebryo. Its superior particle engine, high-quality animation tools and tight integration with Maya made it the clear choice for Wii support. The engine’s long track record of being used in hundreds of titles for multiple game categories and platforms reassured the company it would provide a solid foundation for growth.
Stickmen wanted to focus on creating a AAA-quality game on the WiiWare platform, and not to be distracted by the technology underlying their creativity.
“This is our first title. We can’t afford to make a mistake so we were extremely purposeful when looking at the market,” said Wil McLellan, CEO, Stickmen Studios. “Gamebryo surpassed all of our expectations. The engine enabled our programmers to focus on gameplay and our artists to focus on the look and feel of the spells – instead of worrying about the coding.”
The Gamebryo development engine is being used by large and small developers to create titles ranging from major console launches to casual PC titles. Gamebryo’s flexible licensing model is individually tailored to the timelines and budgets of each specific project.
“Stickmen’s use of Gamebryo for Dragon Master Spell Caster is an excellent example of the flexibility of Emergent’s technology. Working with a new studio like Stickmen is one of the most exciting parts of our work at Emergent. We are helping them build scalable core technology, enabling them to meet their ambition of becoming one of the top developers in the world,” said Katie Morgan, VP of sales and marketing, Emergent.
For pricing information, please visit www.emergent.net/contactus
About Stickmen
Based in Christchurch New Zealand, Stickmen Studios is an approved developer for Wii. Committed to developing original concepts for console, PC and handheld platforms Stickmen Studios goal is “Breakthrough Gaming,” never seen before game play driving radical, riveting adventures. To learn more, visit www.stickmenstudios.co.nz
About Gamebryo
Gamebryo has been fully optimized for development on PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii, and has gained attention as the engine used in Bethesda Softworks' record-breaking Xbox 360(TM), PLAYSTATION(R)3 and PC title, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and on its just released Fallout 3 across the same platforms. Gamebryo is also used by EA-Mythic on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Firaxis on Civilization Revolution, and BottleRocket on Splatterhouse. Gamebryo is a high quality, mature software product that ships with 3,500 pages of fully indexed, searchable documentation. To date, Gamebryo has been used in more than 250 shipped games titles ranging from massively multiplayer online games, high-end retail games across multiple genres and casual games.
About Emergent
Emergent Game Technologies provides flexible technologies and services that give developers an unmatched range of integrated capabilities for building, testing and managing games. These proven, stand-alone solutions include the award-winning Gamebryo game engine used to create hit next-generation games for Wii™, PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™ and PC. Emergent gives developers the flexibility they need to fuel creativity while reducing risk.
Emergent is headquartered in Calabasas, CA., and has offices in Chapel Hill, NC; Austin, Texas; London; Tokyo; China; and Korea. To learn more, visit www.emergent.net.
Media Contacts:
Derek Asato/Luis Levy
The Bohle Company for Emergent Game Technologies
(310) 785-0515 ext. 201/204
derek@bohle.com / luis@bohle.com