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GameNews | PUBLISHER EMATIC PTY LTD | EDITOR TIM RICHARDS | Online 25 March 2003
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ANAKA Short Film by Tantalus
:: Q&A :: with Tom Crago, CEO of Tantalus Interactive - 17 May 2005. Tantalus, renowned for their GBA development, recently created a short animated film called Anaka. Gamenews.com.au editor Tim Richards interviewed Tom about the short film, which can now be downloaded from www.meetanaka.com ( www.meetanaka.com).
--------------------------------------TR [Gamenews.com.au]: What has prompted Tantalus to make a short film?
Tom Crago [Tantalus]: First and foremost we thought it would be a fun thing to do. It's also really hard to get people to buy in to a new concept, and we thought that by making a film we could better demonstrate just how cool the Anaka universe could be. We were also assisted by Film Victoria, and by the team at Act 3 who were responsible for putting the film together. So with this three way collaboration on offer, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Anaka premiered in Melbourne on Friday 29 April 2005 at Tantalus Interactive's Studio (see audience above).TR: Is it a stand alone short film?
TC: It is a stand alone film, and it will be entered in short film competitions around the world. That said, we created the film first and foremost to showcase the game world, its characters, and the type of action that a gamer might encounter.
TR: Is it also a game demo? I.e. Is this a way for Tantlaus to show it has both the technical and creative capacity to make an attractive game (or game franchise)?
TC: From a creative standpoint, absolutely. The film shows off our artistic vision for the game world and its inhabitants. It's a beautiful looking piece, and we hope to replicate that same visual style in the game. In terms of technology, the film is of course very different. But Tantalus is regarded as one of the world's leading handheld developers, so we're confident that there will be very few perceived technical risks in taking the concept to, say, the Nintendo DS. The technology we're presently demonstrating on DS, including our proprietary Janus engine, is some of the best around.
A frame from 'Anaka' - demonstrating the new in-house IP from Tantalus.TR: What do you hope to achieve with the Anaka short film?
TC: Firstly we'd like to see how well it resonates with gamers and with prospective publishers. If no one likes it then we won't keep slaving away on it! Ultimately, we'd like to bring the property to life on DS, ideally with a leading publisher. The potential also exists for an animated children's television series, which of course would be a lot of fun.
A frame from 'Anaka' - Tantalus was assisted in creating the rich digital animation by ACT 3 Animation.TR: From a creative point of view, did any other companies contribute to make the short?
TC: Yes, we worked in very close collaboration with Act 3, one of Australia's leading animation studios.
Many thanks to Tom for his time.
Link: www.meetanaka.com
:: Q&A :: with Lee Lister, co-organiser of Pro Evolution Soccer 4 game playing league SEUCLAN - 13 May 2005. Pro Evolution Soccer 4 is the fourth soccer game in the series from Konami; when it launched in Europe in October 2004, 1.5 million units were ready for shipping. SEUCLAN (www.seuclan.com) is dedicated to Malaysia and Australia players of Pro Evolution Soccer 4 and Winning Eleven 8 (North American title of game). Gamenews.com.au editor Tim Richards interviewed Lee about the game league (Lee organises Australian games, and Auday Talib organises Malayasian games).
--------------------------------------TR [Gamenews.com.au]: How did the group get started?
Lee Lister [SEUCLAN]: Auday and I both got talking through the Pes4 online launcher, playing games, swapping tactics etc, and both expressed our desire to set up a dedicated arena for me (australia) and Auday (malaysia) to meet and play players from our respective countries, because at the time, only Europe was really competing online, We both loved the game, after playing earlier versions on Ps2.
South East United ClanTR: Can you explain how it works, what could a gameplayer expect if they love PES4 and they joined?
LL: New players are directed to their appropriate forum to register their interest/contact details so we can arrange games and talk about future events. We use Msn messenger to communicate/Forum and Pes4 Online launcher to manage this. A new player can expect to get involved in a series of league events which ultimately decides a winner, which is announced in the forums, the league details/fixture lists are regularly updated into a table for all to see through League Republic.
TR: Is the group run to find like minded game players or is it run as a business?
LL: We only seek like minded players, if these new players can make the league/site better or more entertaining they are free to contribute. No money is expected from members, just contribution in terms of gaming and keeping Seuclan ongoing.
TR: Are there other gameplayer groups for PES4 that you know of?
LL: Recently through Pes4 online launcher I have noticed a few australian gamers, unknown to me, post details of two new sites devoted to Pes4, one is Pes4 Champions Cup, This site is currently registering players with a view to starting a cup campaign soon. Another is APL, meaning Australian Premier League, no details of a site of yet. Elsewhere there are Pesleague which is based in the UK and this one is quite large in comparison to Seuclan.
TR: What would you like to do with the group, and its website, in the future?
LL: Expand the amount of new players, keeping the old players. Maybe introduce a ladder system where players performances are rated in a ladder and not a league, maybe stats, video replay of goals/major events and a fully automated league updating system could be achieved, as moderators need time to update rosters/fixtures etc.
Many thanks to Lee (and Auday) for their time.
Link: www.seuclan.com
Australian Game
Developers Conference 2005To be held 1-3 December 2005 at Federation Square, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA. See www.agdc.com.au for further information.
Game Developers Association of Australia Newsletter Edited by Gamenews.com.au editor Tim Richards.
GDAA Newsletter.
Gamenews.com.au Q&As EVAN WALLACE and MARK BUSANI, co-owners of GAMEPLAY ONLINE PTY LTD - 28 April 2005 see Home
GONZALO FRASCA, Computer Game Designer, researcher at the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen, and founder of Ludology.org. - 22 March 2005 see Jan-Mar 2005
ANDREW WANG, ONGAMENET PTY LTD - 1 November 2004 see Oct-Dec_2004
CALEB SALISBURY, GAME ARTIST/DEVELOPER - 12 April 2004 see Apr-Jun_2004
ROSS MCRAE, DIMSDALE KREOZOT UNITED GAMES MANUFACTURE - 6 November 2003 See Jul-Dec
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E3
Expo 2005 Information Page E3
Expo Details To be archived
shortly. |
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Gamenews Weekly
Xbox versus Playstation - Console Power or Market
Power?
The current issue of our subscription newsletter Gamenews Weekly, 30 May
2005, takes a different look at 'Xbox versus Playstation'. "Console
power remains only one factor in a decision to buy a console and Microsoft
knows it has a bigger issue to deal with than apparent console power.
The market power of the Xbox and the PS2 is not a stalemate...".
For the full story, and lots more, subscribe to Gamenews Weekly.
Gamenews Weekly
Buena Vista Games - Next Top-Tier Publisher?
The Monday 23 May 2005 issue of our subscription newsletter Gamenews Weekly
takes a look at Disney subsidiary Buena Vista Games and recent moves to
strengthen it's internal development capacity. We ask, what will it take
for Buena Vista Games to be a top-tier publisher? For the full story,
and lots more, subscribe to Gamenews Weekly below.
Note: this page has an Australian focus, for general E3 related press view the Main page here.
Name: 2005 E3Expo
Dates: Showfloor open 18 - 20 May 2005; Conference 17 - 19 May 2005
Place: Los Angeles Convention Center, LA, California, USA
Summary: The name E3 comes from "Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)". The organisers, Entertainment Software Association (ESA), states E3 "is the world's leading trade event exclusively dedicated to showcasing interactive entertainment and educational software and related products." E3 is a key game industry event as it has the largest numbers of game publishers at any game industry event. The organisers state that in "2005, about 400 exhibiting companies representing 80 countries" will be present. The ESA is a US organisation "dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet." The ESA states "members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $7 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2003, and billions more in export sales of American-made entertainment software."
Web: http://www.e3expo.com/
Consumer Website: E3Insider http://www.e3insider.com; the official virtual gateway of the 2005 E3Expo live from 16 May 2005 with extended show coverage and exclusive photos and news.
Tip: Next Gen Videos release their E3 Expo Coverage DVD set every year, providing a comprehensive video based overview of the event; see http://www.nextgenvideos.com/.Australia at E3
* 38 Australian Game Companies and 107 Developers to Attend E3 2005
* Australians located at Booth # West 2240
* Australian game firms with Asian operations and business connections that will be at E3 include Auran Games, Big World, Fuzzyeyes Studios and Tantalus Interactive
:::::::::::::
News: [17 May 2005] Publisher THQ is featuring 'Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers' and 'Destroy All Humans!' at the E3 Expo 2005. Both games are being developed by Pandemic Studios, a developer with studios in Los Angeles, California and in Brisbane, Australia. Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is the sequel to the award winning Full Spectrum Warrior (which has sold over 1 million units for THQ up to 31 March 2005) and is scheduled to release for Xbox and PS2 and Windows PC early 2006. Destroy All Humans! is one of at least two new original properties for THQ for their current financial year and is to be released for Xbox and PS2, 21 June 2005.
Link: http://www.pandemicstudios.com
News: [16 May 2005] Microsoft promises to webcast the E3Expo Xbox 360 press conference Monday US time (see ad here).
News: [13 May 2005] The Victorian government has announced that 19 local game companies will attend E3 Exppo 2005. Information and Communication Technology Minister Marsha Thomson said Victoria is Australiafs major government contributor towards the Australian stand at E3, with a contribution of $50,000. The 19 Victorian companies attending E3 Expo 2005 are: Atari Melbourne House, Blue Tongue Entertainment, IR Gurus Interactive, Bullant Studios, Firemint, Infinite Interactive, Iron Monkey Studios, Tantalus Interactive, That Game, Torus Games, Wicked Witch Software, Act 3 Animation, Magenta Box, NMG, Studio Moshi, Australian Knowledge Abroad, Pier 57, Third Wave Games and Primal Clarity. Some companies have been provided funding to attend E3, as part of the Victorian government's Trade Fairs and Missions Program.
News: [13 May 2005] Activision, Inc. subsidiary Activision Value Publishing has signed a co-publishing agreement with Brisbane based Krome Studios, for the third installment of TY the Tasmanian Tiger. Currently in development at Krome Studios, the game will be available for the PS2, Xbox, gameCube, and GBA later this year. Dave Oxford, General Manager, Activision Value Publishing, Inc said "We are very excited about the new found partnership with Krome Studios.. The partnership between Activision Value, with its dedication to providing customers with great games, and Krome Studios, which produces award winning content, should result in great gains for both companies." CEO and Co-founder of Krome, Robert Walsh, said "We are pleased to have found such a fantastic and enthusiastic partner in Activision... TY the Tasmanian Tiger series is a well-known and loved property so having their support and prowess will help to further champion and heighten the awareness of our yellow furry hero in the marketplace."
TY the Tasmanian Tiger 3News: [11 May 2005] The game for New Zealand Filmmaker Peter Jackson's King Kong film will be shown off at the E3Expo, with French publisher Ubisoft announcing 40% of Ubisoft's booth space devoted to the game. The game development is being lead by Michel Ancel, creative director at Ubisoft, and his team at Ubisoft's Montpellier (France) studio. Peter Jackson said "It's an absolute pleasure working with Ubisoft on the video game...being able to collaborate closely together from day one is of utmost importance, which is why we've given Ubisoft unlimited access to every creative aspect of our film production. We really want the game and the film to be part of the same universe." King Kong the film is expected to be released December 14; Ubisoft will be at booth #1300, South Hall.
Link: http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml
News: [3 May 2005] The Game Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA) states today that "publishers and developers should take advantage of the fact that Australian game studios were uniquely positioned geographically and historically to successfully tap into the Asian games market." Evelyn Richardson, President and CEO of the GDAA says "Australia has a long history of doing business in the Asian region, and there is considerable accumulated cultural and commercial knowledge that US firms can tap into to fast track successes in this booming market." The GDAA says it member "companies have a strong track record with top selling titles such as: Transformers from Atari Melbourne House, TY the Tasmanian Tiger series from Krome Studios, Heroes of the Pacific from IR Gurus, Trick Star, Polar Express, and Jimmy Neutron from Tantalus, and Polar Express from BlueTongue Entertainment." "Australia delivers" says Richardson.
Link: http://www.gdaa.com.au/E3/index.html
General: NextGenVideos |
Company: BigWorld Pty Ltd, formed in 2002; formed out of Micro Forte.
News: [4 may 2005] Bigworld and their technical artists to demonstrate their latest MMOG software platform, BigWorld Technology Suite V1.6, at this E3 2005. BigWorld Technology is a massively multiplayer online game platform for current and next generation large-scale online games.
Booth: #6001, right in the entrance to Kentia Hall
Tips: Several BigWorld licensees will also be showing their games at the BigWorld booth, with Farlan showcasing their upcoming game Dark & Light. Several other titles will be shown, with some exciting new announcements expected.
Details: BigWorld Technology Suite is an integrated set of tools, software and systems that provides all of the underlying technology and content development tools required to produce an MMOG. BigWorld has licensed their technology for use in 43 different upcoming games, making it the de facto standard MMOG development platform. New DirectX9 3D engine, improved direct export from 3D Studio MAX and newly-added support for direct export from Alias Maya.
Web: http://www.bigworldtech.comCompany: Krome Studios
News: [13 May 2005] Will reveal TY the Tasmanian Tiger 3 to be co-published with Activision Value Publishing.
Booth: West Hall #2240 (Krome Studios will be featured in the Australian Gaming area).
Tips: Krome announced a deal with Film Roman last year for TY to be made into an animated series.
Details: Krome is a Brisbane based game development studio with an eye for the children's TV market. It is the largest game developer in Australia and has spent considerable time developing it's TY the Tasmanian Tiger property, with over 2 million TY units being sold to date. While a substantial number of sales are low budget, this has helped the company make major inroads into US retailers and to build a ground swell for the character and eventual animated TV show.
Web: http://www.kromestudios.com
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*launched in US 24 March 2005; Australia 1 Sept 2005 Sony PS3 MS Xenon Nintendo Revolution |
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