Game Arts chooses BigWorld Technology Suite
9th October 2007
For Immediate Release
(Tokyo, JAPAN) - BigWorld have announced that Game Arts are the latest developer to sign up for the BigWorld Technology suite in their upcoming MMO ‘Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE’. Earlier this week Solid Networks, the exclusive representative in Japan for the BigWorld Technology Suite, finalized the negotiations with Game Arts.
Mr Keita Otsuka, President and CEO of Solid Networks said of the agreement “It is such an honor to have Game Arts be the first development company to adopt the BigWorld Technology Suite in Japan. The BigWorld Technology Suite has been introduced to the US, Asian and European markets and continued to expand its market share. The innovative solution that provides extremely high efficiency and performance to the major corporations in the next-generation online game-development is highly regarded. It is our mission to provide an efficient and stable development environment as well as various other services to the growing online game industry and contribute to its further expansion”.
In adopting the BigWorld Technology Suite, Mr Hajime Tanigawa, Director of the Executive Production Team at GungHo Online Entertainment Inc and Project Director of ‘Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE’ at Game Arts ‘Thunderdome’ development studio, commented that “It’s no exaggeration to say that BigWorld Technology has provided a number of key benefits in the development of ‘Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE’. The benefits include: improvement of the visual quality of the client; securing high stability; fault tolerance; availability of the server, and; rapid implementation environment of the content. Adopting BigWorld technology has allowed us to focus on the pursuit of entertainment quality in the game itself and allows us to efficiently create a rich gaming experience in the high-paced development process”.
Gavin Longhurst, Vice President of Business Development for BigWorld commented “This is an exciting development for both the BigWorld Technology Suite and the Japanese MMO market. We believe that the MMO market is increasing in the region and the BigWorld Technology Suite will assist in making an efficient process for developers in this medium”.
About the BigWorld Technology Suite
Comprised of the BigWorld Server Software, Content Creation Pipeline, 3D Client Engine Package, Live Management Tools & Instrumentation, BigWorld Technology Suite is the only complete MMOG solution, providing all of the difficult technology required to produce an engaging next-generation MMOG.
About BigWorld Pty Ltd
BigWorld Pty Ltd was formed in 2002 to commercialise years of intense R&D, which started in 1999 and continues to this day. BigWorld Pty Ltd is a privately held company based in Australia that licenses its BigWorld Technology Suite middleware platform to game studios and publishers around the world that are looking to produce successful next generation Massively Multiplayer Online Games.
BigWorld Website
About Game Arts
Game Arts is an established Japanese Game Developer. They have developed titles for PC, Nintendo DS, Playstation 3 and Pachinko Slot Machines. In 2005, Game Arts became a subsidiary of Gung Ho Online Entertainment and today continue to develop console and handheld titles under Gung Ho focusing also on the MMO market.
Major Releases include ‘Grandia’ Series (RPG), ‘Luna’ Series (RPG), ‘GunGriffon’ Series (Robot Action Shooting), and ‘Silpheed’ Series (Shooting).
Game Arts Website
About GungHo Online Entertainment Inc
GungHo Online Entertainment Inc has been providing online game services with a focus on the ‘Community’ since August 2002. In 2005, GungHo established shareholding links with G-mode Co Ltd, Game Arts Co Ltd, and Broccoli Co Ltd in order to diversify the scope of its business. The business scope includes online gaming services featuring the upcoming ‘Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE’ release. Other titles include ‘Ragnarok Online’, ‘Emil Chronicle Online’ which are already in the market and a portal site known as Online Theme Park ‘GungHo Games’. Gung Ho also produce mobile phone games and consumer games. GungHo is working to expand its recognition from being the No.1 Online Game Publisher to becoming the No.1 Games Media Group. In recognition of the service concepts, focusing on “how to have fun”, GungHo plans to foster a community and through that community offer a new kind of online entertainment.
About Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE
‘Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE’ is a survival action online RPG, recapturing the worldview of the sensationally famous anime series written by Buronson and drawn by Tetsuo Hara. The game features new innovations such as the ‘intuitive mouse battle system’ as well as the use of
‘cel-shading’ techniques. For the first time, players can experience the drama of the main characters ‘Kenshiro’ and ‘Raoh’ in this extraordinary world at the end of the century.
Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE Website
About Solid Networks
Solid Networks Inc was founded in 1996 as an Internet Service Provider (ISP), providing services such as co-location, managed hosting, design, setup and operation of internet server systems and infrastructure. In 2000, Solid Networks became among the first to launch an online game in the Japanese market through a business partnership with Korean-based NEXON Corporation.
By taking advantage of their more than seven years of industry experience and through partnerships with major games portal sites, Solid Networks became the exclusive representative in Japan for the BigWorld Technology Suite. Since then, Solid Networks has developed a reputation as being a provider of advanced technology solutions for developers and online Game distributors throughout Japan.
Solid Networks Website
Media Contact: Sarah Burns
Email:
Office: Canberra