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MICROSOFT AND REAL TIME WORLDS SIGN PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Award-Winning Developer To Create Exclusive Games For Xbox
360
LONDON, 21st June 2005 —Today at the ELSPA Games Summit industry
conference in London, Peter Moore, corporate vice president,
worldwide marketing and publishing, Xbox, announced that Scottish
games developer Real Time Worlds have signed a partnership
agreement with Microsoft that will see a number of exclusive titles
developed for the new Xbox 360™ system that puts players at the
centre of the most powerful next-generation games and entertainment
experiences.
Founded in March 2002, Real Time Worlds employs 75 people and is
led by three game industry veterans who, between them, are
responsible for some of the world's most popular games. Real
Time Worlds creative director David Jones, founder of DMA Design,
was the creative director behind two of gaming's most successful
franchises, "Grand Theft Auto" and
"Lemmings." Ian Hetherington, former managing
director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, founded Psygnosis,
one of the United Kingdom's first videogames publishers. Tony
Harman, former director of development and acquisition for Nintendo
of America, was the executive producer of the "Donkey Kong
Country" franchise.
"We're looking forward to working with Real Time Worlds and are
thrilled with what they're going to be achieving with Xbox 360,"
said Moore. "The company harbours some of the most
talented people in the industry, responsible for milestone games
such as Grand Theft Auto, Lemmings and Donkey
Kong Country. That creative history is now coming to the
most powerful games platform on earth, and we can't wait for gamers
to experience what this partnership can offer."
"We're delighted to be working with Microsoft," said David Jones,
Creative Director, Real Time Worlds. "In the short time we've
had to get to know Xbox 360, we've been blown away by the potential
this platform offers and what it means for gamers – the exciting
hardware means we can harness even more power to create amazing
worlds that utilise innovative online components thanks to Xbox®
Live™. The combination of powerful hardware, great
software and innovative services has freed us up to concentrate on
creating incredibly immersive game worlds and experiences that will
define what this next generation means for gamers."
The creative vision of the industry's most respected developers is
amplified by the power of Xbox 360. New games deliver more
expansive, realistic and intelligent gameplay to draw the gamer
into the experience as never before. With Xbox 360, thousands of
characters converge for epic battles scenes, each with their own
unique artificial intelligence to keep gamers on their toes.
Dynamic environments create new experiences with every step —
realism emerges not only in the advanced lighting and texture
effects that illuminate the graphics, but in the way the setting
itself responds to characters' movements. When an enemy hiding in
the brush makes a sudden move, players will see and hear the leaves
rustle to alert them to someone's presence. Not only are games
smarter, but they engage players in more dramatic ways. Characters
on the screen capture the subtle nuances of human emotion to draw
players into the drama of the scene as never before.
Xbox 360 ignites a new era of gameplay in which people power the
experience and imagination becomes the only boundary. Now an
integral feature for every Xbox 360 title, the Xbox Live
service gives gamers the opportunity to continually evolve and
expand their experience. With features such as spectator mode,
intelligent matchmaking, Xbox Live Marketplace and video
chat, Xbox 360 invites consumers to play a role in defining their
own unique gaming universe.
About Real Time Worlds.
Real Time
Worlds is a Dundee Scotland based company, headed by top industry
designer David Jones. David Jones has created such global hit
franchises as Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings and
has hand picked his staff from his previous top selling products to
create Real Time Worlds. The company has an emphasis on online
gaming.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is the
future-generation video game and entertainment system that places
games at the centre of the experience. Available this
Christmas in North America, Europe and Japan, Xbox 360 will ignite
a new era of digital entertainment that is always connected, always
personalised and always in high definition.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader
in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and
business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and
services designed to empower people through great software — any
time, any place and on any device.
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