Consumer Electronics Daily News

Runes Of Magic Advances Game Play With Voice Chat From Vivox

Vivox Adds Another Free-to-Play Title to Arsenal of HD Voice Enabled Games

 

Vivox, the market leader in voice services for online games, virtual worlds and the social web, announced a partnership with Runewaker Entertainment to provide voice chat for the smash hit MMO Runes of Magic.

“Runewaker Entertainment has built a sophisticated game that resonates with players around the world who are looking for challenging adventures and a dynamic community”

Recently named Massively’s Best Game Launch of 2009, Runes of Magic boasts a worldwide community of 2.8 million players. Vivox Voice chat for Runes of Magic is specifically designed to complement various game play styles of this worldwide audience. With access to high definition voice in public and private voice channels, players will find it easier to coordinate adventures and socialize while in-game.

“Runewaker Entertainment has built a sophisticated game that resonates with players around the world who are looking for challenging adventures and a dynamic community,” said Rob Seaver, CEO and founder of Vivox. “Runes of Magic is setting new standards for the free-to-play MMO market with creative and gratifying game play. The addition of Vivox Voice will bring the community closer together around the game they love.”

“We have been looking forward to bringing voice chat to Runes of Magic for some time knowing the extraordinary benefits it brings to the community,” said Tony Tang, VP of Business Development at Runewaker Entertainment. “Vivox is the only voice chat provider capable of delivering high definition voice to gamers. With Vivox, we now have access to an unparalleled global network that will empower us to further enhance the game and extend the player base.”

Vivox can be seen and heard this week at the Game Developer Conference (GDC), March 11-13, 2010 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center, booth #1632.

About Vivox, Inc.

Vivox is the premier provider of HD voice services for online games, virtual worlds and the social web. Supporting over 20 million users in more than 180 countries, and over 2 billion minutes of voice chat per month, the Vivox Network is the world’s largest voice network for gamers. Vivox customers include game and virtual world developers and publishers such as CCP Games (EVE Online), Hi-Rez Studios, Icarus Studios, Linden Lab (Second Life), NCsoft, Realtime Worlds, Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.

About Runewaker Entertainment

Runewaker is a Taiwan – based company that strives to develop high quality online games for the global market. Runewaker seeks to balance innovation with value creation and to produce IPs that will transcend culture and language barriers. Runewaker is committed to providing its partners, local and international, with the best possible product and service.

About Frogster

The Berlin based Frogster Interactive Pictures AG, listed on the stock exchange, has focused on the growth sector of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) at an early stage already. The company licenses, markets and operates its virtual worlds for millions of players in Europe, Asia and North America. In Europe its subsidiary Frogster Online Gaming GmbH is taking care of the operating business of the Frogster group. The Korean joint venture Frogster Asia Co. Ltd. based in Seoul develops new MMO games with an internal team and markets virtual worlds in Asia. Frogster America Inc. based in San Francisco, USA, markets and operates MMO games in North America. At their offices in Berlin, Seoul and San Francisco, the Frogster group employs more than 150 staff members in the fields of game development, licensing, IT, web design and web development, product management, marketing, PR, web publishing, community management, customer support, hosting, sales, billing and finance/administration. In the year 2008, Frogster won the “Landmark in the Land of Ideas”, a competition under the patronage of the German President Dr. Horst Köhler. 

For more information, visit Vivox, Runewaker Entertainment or Frogster.

AirKast Launches Innovative & Marketing-Focused iPhone & BlackBerry Mobile Applications For Max Media LLC

AirKast Creates Unique Opportunities for Max Media to Reach Local Advertisers

 

AirKast, the leader in enterprise-class digital media distribution solutions, announced today that it has launched customized iPhone and BlackBerry mobile applications for three Max Media LLC radio stations. These branded applications, containing real-time digital media and online content, were developed using TuneKast, a solution designed for terrestrial and Internet-based radio stations and delivered via the AirBridge digital media delivery platform. These mobile applications deliver streaming live radio to their listeners and offer local advertisers several unique opportunities to bring their messages to a mobile audience.

“Max Media has achieved success in the radio market by focusing on innovative marketing and programming techniques targeted at local levels”

“Max Media has achieved success in the radio market by focusing on innovative marketing and programming techniques targeted at local levels,” said Michael Connor, director of interactive media for Max Media LLC. “We wanted listeners to access our stream via mobile devices, but with creative and feature-rich applications. AirKast exceeded our expectations as we can also offer local advertisers an easy way to deliver their messages to our mobile audiences.”

Max Media LLC owns and operates 53 radio and television stations across the United States and Puerto Rico. AirKast has launched mobile applications for three Virginia-based stations, WVHTFM (Hot 100.5), WVBWFM (92.9 The Wave) and WGHFM (97.3 The Eagle). All three stations now offer iPhone and BlackBerry listeners the ability to hear live streaming radio and while interacting with other digital content from their mobile devices.

Applications powered by AirBridge are reliable, secure and scalable so stations can target large audiences via mobile and other connected consumer electronic (CE) devices. AirBridge is a hosted environment comprised of a broad set of built-in interactive capabilities that allows branded applications to be brought to market quickly, and allows companies to focus on developing competitive advantages instead of technical and infrastructure issues. AirBridge currently supports market-leading mobile devices, including iPhone, BlackBerry (all models including Storm) and Android. For the radio broadcasting industry, AirBridge is fully integrated with proven ad networks and station service providers, such as Ando Media, Triton Digital Media, StreamTheWorld and Liquid Compass.

“We’re very pleased that Max Media is taking advantage of this revolutionary mobile technology to create a mobile presence for its listeners, advertisers and sponsors,” said Hung Nguyen, vice president of server platforms for AirKast. “Max Media can now offer all types of unique mobile content – such as loyalty programs for listeners and video spots for advertisers – without worrying about the technology behind the application. We allow stations to focus their creativity on their customers’ needs.”

With TuneKast, terrestrial and Internet-based radio stations are given numerous opportunities to increase the distribution of their content in order to attract sponsors and advertisers. Each TuneKast application is “dynamically brand-able” which means that, in addition to in-sync ads, stations can change sponsor information as well as the application’s look-and-feel in real-time without performing application updates. Additionally, stations can give advertisers and sponsors access to value-added services and capabilities, such as location-based targeting, pre-roll video capabilities and clickable ads to continually interest audiences.

Used by more than 850 of the nation’s most popular terrestrial radio stations, TuneKast offers many ways to encourage active listener participation, such as loyalty programs. TuneKast applications are seamlessly integrated with Ando Media's market-leading ad trafficking and metrics measurement system. This combination gives stations the power to monetize their digital media and online content for mobile devices, while monitoring and measuring in real-time audience and ad campaign performances from numerous forms of advertising and sponsorships.

About AirBridge

AirBridge is the first hosted digital media delivery platform used to build enterprise-class applications for connected consumer electronics (CE) that are reliable, scalable and secure. Leveraging AirBridge lets broadcasting and publishing companies develop a competitive advantage by delivering content to market quickly via mobile and other CE devices. AirBridge takes advantage of the full communication and graphics capability of each device so companies can offer their valued sponsors new opportunities for advertising, premium content and affiliate programs through audience interaction and value-added services and capabilities. AirBridge currently supports market-leading mobile device makers and models, such as Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBerry (all screen sizes, including Storm) and Android, with additional device support to be announced soon.

About AirKast, Inc.

AirKast, Inc. is a digital media distribution software provider of enterprise-class solutions that extend and enhance real-time digital media and online content to connected consumer electronic (CE) devices. AirKast customers include ABC and FOX as well as popular terrestrial stations from Citadel Broadcasting and NextMedia, Inc. AirKast is headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley with an office strategically located in New York City.

For more information, visit AirKast, Inc.

Wizzard Media Acquires Number One Celebrity Gossip iPhone App

Wizzard Media (NYSE Amex: WZE), the world’s largest podcasting network, announces the acquisition of exclusive distribution rights to Gossip Junkie, the number one celebrity gossip App in the App Store. Gossip Junkie is currently for sale through the App Store for use on the iPhone® and iPod® Touch.

Are you a Gossip Junkie who loves to get the latest celebrity news from sites like Perez Hilton, E! News, TMZ or US Weekly? If so, Gossip Junkie is perfect for you. With just the touch of your finger you can spend more time browsing all of the popular celebrity news sites and reading about your favorite celebrities. No longer do you have to type in the web address or thumb through your bookmarks & icons to read all of your celebrity dirt. Gossip Junkie provides one touch access to 19 celebrity news sites including: E! Online, OK! Magazine, NY Post Page Six, People, Perez Hilton, Star Magazine, TMZ and US Magazine.

According to PositionApp, Gossip Junkie is ranked in the Top 300 paid Apps in its respective category in over 50 countries worldwide, making it the number one Gossip App in iTunes. Interestingly enough, the top country for celebrity news through Gossip Junkie this week is Chile, where the App ranks in the top 140 overall paid Apps. In the United States, Gossip Junkie ranks 12th in paid news Apps where it has spent the last six months in the Top 25. Currently, Gossip Junkie ranks in the Top 25 paid news Apps in Australia, Canada, UK and Brazil. From Slovenia to Guatemala, from Slovakia to China, everyone loves gossip and everyone loves getting their celebrity news from Gossip Junkie.

Adding to its growing roster of premium iPhone Apps, Wizzard Media acquired the rights to this highly regarded App from iPhone EZ Apps based solely on its future sales potential and targetability through Wizzard’s podcast marketing and distribution network. Marketing efforts for Gossip Junkie will target female audiences through comedy, entertainment, music, lifestyle and fashion podcasts on the Wizzard Media Network. Wizzard has focused its recent App acquisition efforts on quality, timeless Apps that match up well with highly targeted podcast audiences generating Wizzard, App developers and podcasters revenue for the promotion and sale of the Apps.

This announcement represents continuing progress for Wizzard’s expanded monetization plan for its podcasting network of over 12,000 podcast producers and their 18 million unique monthly viewers and listeners, approximately 70% of whom use iPods and iPhones to subscribe and download their favorite podcasts. Wizzard plans to continue to acquire the rights of high quality Apps to provide podcast producers with a continuous stream of relevant, paid advertising for their episodic shows and provide App developers and Wizzard with increased sales revenues.

About Wizzard Media

Wizzard Media provides podcast publishers with distribution and monetization services. Our clients include Microsoft, National Geographic, Harvard Business Review, Usher, NPR and more than 12,000 others who use Wizzard Media products to measure their podcast audience, deliver popular audio and video entertainment and monetize their content through advertising and App sales. In 2009, the Wizzard Media Network received over 1.4 billion podcast requests from approximately 50 million people worldwide through iPods, iPhones, iTunes, Zune and many other devices and destinations. We are part of a publicly held, Pittsburgh based company with thousands of shareholders and a world-class team.

For more information, visit Wizzard Media.

Media Executives To Explore Next Generation Of e-Reader Content & Devices At Digital Hollywood Media Summit

LibreDigital CEO, Russell P. Reeder, to Host Discussion with Executives from Sony, Los Angeles Times, J.P. Morgan and More

 

At the 2010 Media Summit New York, LibreDigital president and CEO Russell P. Reeder will moderate a panel discussion exploring the complex content opportunities and risks for publishing, media, and entertainment companies on next-generation e-readers, tablets and mobile devices. Titled “Merging Content with New Technologies - Content Reinvention with the Next Generation of News Readers, Tablets and Mobile Devices,” the panel will include participation from executives with J.P. Morgan, NDS, Los Angeles Times, Sony Electronics, and SPIN Magazine.

“Merging Content with New Technologies - Content Reinvention with the Next Generation of News Readers, Tablets and Mobile Devices”

The Media Summit New York is the premier international conference on media, broadband, advertising, television, publishing, cable, mobile, radio, magazines, news & print media and marketing.

Panel Participants:

• Moderator: Russell P. Reeder, president and CEO, LibreDigital, Inc.
• Michael A. Meltz, CFA, Equity Research, Information Services, J.P. Morgan
• Bob Guccione, Jr., founder, SPIN magazine & Discover Media
• Sean Reily, director of Editorial Business & Planning, Los Angeles Times; director, eReader Strategy, Tribune Company
• Bob Nell, director, Business Development, Digital Reading Business Division, Sony Electronics Inc.
• Arnold Zucker, director, Digital Publishing, NDS

When: Wednesday, March 10th, 10:45am–12pm ET

Location: McGraw-Hill Building - 49th St. & 6th Ave. - New York, NY

About Libre Digital

LibreDigital works with six of the top U.S. book publishers, including HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, and Simon & Schuster, and the leading newspapers and magazines. LibreDigital helps them to securely deliver content across an expanding array of digital channels, including e-readers, smart phones, and online stores. LibreDigital also offers solutions for device manufacturers and retailers seeking to deliver digital books, newspapers and magazines.

LibreDigital makes it profitable to manage and market digital content, providing a web-based warehouse and distribution platform for six of the top ten book publishers and over 175 newspapers and periodicals. LibreDigital solutions allow publishers to store and secure digital content in any form, and to deliver content on-demand to any marketplace or device – including the Apple iBookstore, the Blio eReader, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble nook, Sony Reader and many more.

For more information, visit Libre Digital.

NAB Show Highlights Prominence Of Video Games In Digital Entertainment

--Industry leaders to focus on convergence, globalization and new markets--

 

The NAB Show will for the second consecutive year feature a series of sessions focused on video games as an increasingly popular and integral part of the digital entertainment landscape. Three sessions on Wednesday, April 14 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas will delve into video gaming's convergence with other major media, international growth and the influence of women in the expansion of the industry.

Video game industry leaders from around the world will participate in panel discussions exploring the evolution of interactive content provided by video games in relation to the content lifecycle.

Convergence in Entertainment and Games

During this morning Super Session, leading games executive will discuss the future of collaboration in entertainment. Topics include the integration of video games, feature films, mobile applications and social networking, as well as new opportunities to generate revenue, share content and leverage new technologies. Moderator Megan Gaiser, president & CEO, HER Interactive will lead a discussion among panelists including Reto Bodmer, founder & COO, Evolved Games; Sebastien de Halleux, co-founder, Playfish and Dale Strang, CEO of Viximo.

Global Games: How International Markets Are Playing a Leading Role

Globalization has had a tremendous impact on the industry from the massive popularity of casual games in Asia, to leading innovations in development from the U.K. and India and financing partnerships across Europe. Industry veteran Dale Strang will lead a discussion on growth opportunities in an increasingly global market. The afternoon session is part of the new Broader-casting Conference and features Daniel Kim, CEO, Nexon Games and Sean Malatesta, CEO, Indiagames.

She's Got Game: Exploring the Rising Importance and Influence of Women in Interactive Entertainment

Representing more than 45 percent of the video game market, women are the fastest growing segment of the business. In this session, a panel of leading game developers and industry experts will discuss the impact of women on the production, marketing and commerce of video games. Topics include exploring revenue and branding opportunities by developing and marketing video game content that focuses on interests of women and girls and reflects them as primary characters. Moderated by Belinda Van Sickle, president, GameDocs and chair of Women in Games International, the session features Jennifer MacLean, CEO of 38Games; Kellee Santiago, president, That Game Company and Megan Gaiser, president & CEO, HER Interactive.

About the 2010 NAB Show

The NAB Show will take place 10-15 April, 2010 in Las Vegas (exhibits open 12 April). It is the world's largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums.

About NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age.

For more information, visit NAB.

Digital Chocolate Launches NanoTowns On Facebook

City Building Game Loaded with Personality and Social Features Comes to Facebook

 

Digital Chocolate, a quality leader in original and high quality games on all platforms, today announced the launch of NanoTowns™ on Facebook, the leading social networking site. NanoTowns will give users the chance to build their own city anyway they like while playing cooperatively with their friends.

“We’re proud to be launching NanoTowns on Facebook”

“We’re proud to be launching NanoTowns on Facebook,” said Trip Hawkins, CEO of Digital Chocolate. “This new game brings the hilarity and entertainment of building your own quirky town and employing your friends on Facebook.”

Created specifically to take full advantage of Facebook, players can visit friends’ towns to earn additional coins to purchase buildings, roads, trees and cars for their metropolis. Players can assign their friends as residents for each structure. They can be the crazy cat lady or the guy that owns the donut-shaped shop.

NanoTowns is known for its quirkiness and charm allowing users to plop down cartoon-style buildings including creaky house, donut shop and even a fish tank building. There are over 50 different building types to choose from, each with its unique purpose and look. Players will need to tend to their buildings’ needs by completing over 100 quests that will keep them entertained for hours.

NanoTowns provides long lasting gameplay and value to customers by providing weekly content releases with new buildings, décor, and quests. This gives each person the opportunity to create a completely original town to show off to friends week after week.

NanoTowns will be available to play for free on Facebook by going to http://apps.facebook.com/nanotowns. For more information about Digital Chocolate’s games, go to www.digitalchocolate.com/facebook.

About Digital Chocolate

Digital Chocolate is a leading publisher of original, high-quality Omni games - games that reach mass market consumers across all platforms and are driven by social value, convenience and instant gratification. Consumers can "Seize the Minute!" with a catalog of more than 80 award-winning Digital Chocolate games available for Apple iPhone, smartphones, the web, Facebook, Xbox LIVE and thousands of different mobile phones in more than 80 countries. Recently Digital Chocolate had 4 different games chart at # 1 in the App Store in 4 consecutive months including Crazy Penguin Catapult, 3D Brick Breaker Deluxe, 3D Tower Bloxx Deluxe and Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park. The company has major offices in San Mateo, Helsinki, Bangalore and Barcelona and was founded in 2003 by Trip Hawkins, who was also the founder and CEO of Electronic Arts. Digital Chocolate partners with major mobile and media companies including Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, Fox, Paramount, HBO, Google, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony/Ericsson. Leading competitors include Electronic Arts, Gameloft, I-Play and Glu Mobile.

For more information, visit Digital Chocolate.

Level 3 & Solid State Networks Join Forces On Integrated Gaming Solution

Combined Level 3 CDN and Solid State Networks Game Publishing Software Offers Faster Downloads and Improved Analytics

 

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:LVLT) announced that it has teamed up with Solid State Networks, a leading provider of game publishing software, to offer an integrated game delivery solution for game developers and publishers designed to increase player conversion and retention, improve operational efficiency, and provide actionable reporting metrics.

“Our network and Content Analytics platform are well-suited for the game industry, and we’re looking forward to expanding our collaborations and presence in this space in the coming year.”

Solid State Networks’ game publishing software enables a smooth game acquisition and update experience, fostering higher conversion and retention rates. Player engagement opportunities allow for monetization during game downloads and updates, and each time a game is launched. The integrated solution will leverage those capabilities along with Level 3’s extensive IP transit network and sophisticated content delivery network (CDN).

“Our online game customers demand the best possible ingress experience for their players along with an efficient updating and patching process in a solution that can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of their games. In combining these capabilities with Level 3’s network, we have an end-to-end solution that improves the overall user experience,” said Rick Buonincontri, CEO of Solid State Networks. “With this improved experience also comes richer data, as our customers now have access to both our reporting and the Level 3 analytics platform.”

Level 3’s suite of CDN services for the gaming market includes caching and download services, storage services, live streaming of events including game launches and competitions, as well as advanced reporting capabilities and real-time traffic statistics that provide visibility and insight. Content originated on the Level 3 network passes through fewer networks (hops) en route to Internet destinations, which helps enable more consistent performance, less downtime and less disruption to the gaming experience.

“Level 3’s collaboration with Solid State Networks provides a powerful solution for game publishers to improve the user experience while providing real-time usage statistics that help game publishers to better understand traffic patterns and to make adjustments for their business and their customers,” said Peter Neill, senior vice president of Content Markets at Level 3. “Our network and Content Analytics platform are well-suited for the game industry, and we’re looking forward to expanding our collaborations and presence in this space in the coming year.”

Level 3 and Solid State Networks are working together as part of Level 3’s recently launched Content Delivery Partner Program (CDP). The program allows business partners to leverage the Level 3 CDN and Vyvx broadcast platforms to enable an outstanding experience for online and broadcast end-users. Level 3 works closely with business partner companies to customize value-added solutions that better enable services that link content creators with content consumers. Click here for more information about the program.

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) is a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services. Enterprise, content, wholesale and government customers rely on Level 3 to deliver services with an industry-leading combination of scalability and value over an end-to-end fiber network. Level 3 offers a portfolio of metro and long-haul services, including transport, data, Internet, content delivery and voice.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Vyvx, Level 3 Communications and the Level 3 Communications Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

About Solid State Networks

Solid State Networks is a leading developer of specialized, high performance content delivery solutions, including game publishing software. Since early 2007, Solid State Networks has steadily gained recognition within the gaming industry as a highly innovative company with reliable technology and versatile game delivery and patching solutions for companies such as Funcom, Riot Games, Wizards of the Coast, Abandon Interactive, Vogster Entertainment, and others.

For more information, visit Level 3 Communications or Solid State Networks.

Namco Networks & TNA Wrestling To Make An iMPACT! On Wireless Devices

Games Based on World’s Fastest Growing Wrestling Organization Debuting Later This Year

 

Namco Networks, a leading publisher and developer of mobile, iPhone and PC games for mass-market casual gamers, announced a partnership with TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Entertainment LLC, the world’s fastest growing professional wrestling company, to bring the top talent and action of TNA Wrestling to wireless devices. The game is scheduled to release on iPhone and iPod touch later this year and will roll out on Android, Java, BREW, Windows Mobile, RIM and other mobile platforms in 2011.

“TNA has emerged as the most exciting professional wrestling organization in the world, and we are honored to be their tag-team partner in the mobile space”

TNA Wrestling is set to be the most amazing wrestling videogame in the mobile space yet. Featuring TNA’s greatest stars, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Mr. Anderson, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero, Kurt Angle and more; wrestling fans will be able to experience first-hand all the hard-hitting in-ring action and compelling feuds of TNA’s weekly, top-rated show “TNA iMPACT!” on Spike TV domestically.

“TNA has emerged as the most exciting professional wrestling organization in the world, and we are honored to be their tag-team partner in the mobile space,” stated Chris Lucero, manager of business development and licensing at Namco Networks. “We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the amazing stars of TNA Wrestling, as we bring their astonishing athleticism and tremendous charisma to gamers and wrestling fans everywhere.”

“We are very excited to partner with Namco Networks,” said Dixie Carter, president of TNA Wrestling. “They are among the very best developers and publishers of mobile games in the world today. Wrestling fans have a lot to look forward to when TNA’s mobile games release later this year.”

About Namco Networks

Namco Networks America Inc., a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc., is a worldwide leader in cutting-edge, digitally distributed casual entertainment including mobile, iPhone and casual PC games. More information about Namco Networks products can be found on namcogames.com, Facebook or Twitter.

About TNA Wrestling

"Cross The Line" to TNA Wrestling. TNA Wrestling is the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, TNA World Heavyweight Champion "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Mr. Anderson, Mick Foley, "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe, "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the ring on "TNA iMPACT!" Thursday nights (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) through Match 4th and moves to Monday nights (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) starting March 8 on Spike TV.

For more information, visit Namco Networks or TNA Wrestling.

AMD Open Physics Initiative Expands Ecosystem With Free DMM For Game Production & Updated Version Of Bullet Physics

— Updated Pixelux and Bullet Physics offerings enable more realistic games that run on any OpenCL™- and DirectCompute-capable platforms —

 

AMD (NYSE:AMD) announced that, along with partners Pixelux Entertainment and Bullet Physics, it has added significant support to the Open Physics ecosystem by providing game developers with access to the newest version of the Pixelux Digital Molecular Matter (DMM), a breakthrough in physics simulation. In addition, to enabling a superior development experience and helping to reduce time to market, Pixelux has tightly integrated its technology, DMM, with Bullet Physics, allowing developers to integrate physics simulation into game titles that run on both OpenCL- and DirectCompute-capable platforms. And both DMM and Bullet work with Trinigy’s Vision Engine to create and visualize physics offerings in-game.

“AMD’s Open Physics Initiative with Pixelux DMM and Bullet Physics, coupled with our long-standing relationship with all three companies, helped us deliver on that core philosophy by giving developers access to these state-of-the-art technologies for producing advanced effects in games.”

“Establishing an open and affordable physics development environment is an important accomplishment for both game developers and gamers, signaling a move away from exclusionary or proprietary approaches,” said Eric Demers, chief technology officer, AMD Graphics Division. “Not only does the integration of Bullet Physics into partner middleware help drive broader adoption of physics in games, it ensures that when those games are released, all gamers, regardless of the hardware in their PC, can benefit from the more realistic experience enabled by those effects.”

AMD’s announced open physics development environment now adds Bullet Physics as the default rigid body physics system provided with Pixelux’s DMM2 material physics engine. Developers can now design and interact with rigid body systems familiar to them and easily add DMM objects incrementally enabling them to bend and break based on real physical properties.

In addition, AMD is announcing its sponsorship of FREE DMM2 for the PC platform. The Free PC version has no DMM license fee for development or production deployment and includes all the features of the premium version including GPU acceleration.1 Free PC DMM2 is expected to be made available shortly to interested developers.

“With today’s announcement, the incredible physical simulation effects seen in the latest games and blockbuster films can be used by all developers – a tremendous milestone for the industry,” said Mitchell Bunnell, chief executive officer, Pixelux. “Working closely with AMD and Bullet’s main author, Erwin Coumans, we’ve enabled tight integration of our DMM2 system and Bullet Physics, giving developers a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use physics pipeline they can use to create things that have never been seen before”.

“At Trinigy, one of our guiding principles is ensuring game developers have the freedom to use the tools they need to create the effects they want,” said Danie Conradie, president and chief executive officer, Trinigy Inc. “AMD’s Open Physics Initiative with Pixelux DMM and Bullet Physics, coupled with our long-standing relationship with all three companies, helped us deliver on that core philosophy by giving developers access to these state-of-the-art technologies for producing advanced effects in games.”

All of the Bullet Physics implementations described above can be run on any OpenCL- or DirectCompute-capable platform. On AMD platforms, ATI Stream technology is used to drive the enhanced game experience. As a further enhancement, AMD has developed new parallel GPU accelerated implementations of Bullet Physics’ Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Fluids and Soft Bodies/Cloth. The new code written in OpenCL and Direct Compute will be contributed as open source.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. 

For more information, visit AMD.

2K Games Partners With Playboy Magazine To Bring Sophistication & Classic Imagery To Mafia II

Vintage covers and Centerfolds from the archives of the world’s best-selling men’s monthly magazine to be found throughout the world of Empire Bay

 

2K Games announced that it has signed a license agreement with Playboy magazine for a unique in-game integration to use more than 50 of their vintage covers and Centerfolds in Mafia® II, this year’s highly anticipated epic mobster game for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. Set in the fully realized and immersive 1940s and 1950s American urban cityscape of Empire Bay, Mafia II will enable players to collect virtual copies of the iconic magazine, which has served as the definitive guide to lifestyle and culture for men since December 1953.

“For more than 55 years, Playboy has been a part of America’s pop culture landscape, engaging its readers with insightful features, interviews and fashion spreads, as well as pictorials of some of the world’s most beautiful women”

“While most mob-inspired games’ emphasis is solely on action, Mafia II features a deep and compelling narrative that is embellished with a sophisticated, era-evoking atmosphere,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “In partnering with Playboy, we are able to add a unique element of authenticity to the game by using vintage images from the magazine that illustrate the power of Playboy’s influence on the attitudes and culture of that generation.”

Mafia II is a beautifully crafted look into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mafia where clothing, cars, music and advertising are meticulously created to replicate an American city in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Players will easily become engaged in the game’s cinematic, Hollywood-style experience with strong, believable characters in a living, breathing city that transports them to a time when rock-n-roll first strummed its guitar and chrome-plated hot rods roared down boulevards.

“For more than 55 years, Playboy has been a part of America’s pop culture landscape, engaging its readers with insightful features, interviews and fashion spreads, as well as pictorials of some of the world’s most beautiful women,” said Playboy magazine’s Editorial Director Jimmy Jellinek. “Mafia II is set when Playboy first came into vogue and features characters whose style and attitudes mirror content from our early issues. We’re excited to bring an element of authenticity to the game that is unmatched in the men’s publishing category.”

Mafia II is currently in development by 2K Czech, the same creative team behind the award-winning, genre-defining Mafia®, which captivated millions of gamers around the world. By fusing high-octane gunplay with white-knuckle driving and an engaging narrative, Mafia II looks to be the industry’s most compelling Mafia title to date.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, iPhone™ and iPod® touch. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K, which publishes its titles under 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play. The Company's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO.

About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and abroad and creates content for distribution via television networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more than 150 countries as well as retail stores and entertainment venues.

For more information, visit Take-Two Interactive.