Substance Air
Funcom and Stray Bullet sign up.
CLERMONT-FERRAND, France - July 14, 2009 - With the growing need to reduce client size and boost productivity in the Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) production pipeline, leading game developers Funcom and Stray Bullet Games have become the first licensees of Allegorithmic's Substance Air solution, the first true professional middleware dedicated to texturing for 3D applications.
Funcom and Stray Bullet Games are both currently in production on large-scale MMOs with high-end graphics. By using Substance Air, these trend-setting developers are able to unleash dynamic texturing and user-generated content that will set the pace for a new generation of online games.
"As digital distribution is becoming more important than ever, the move towards procedural textures was a natural step for Funcom," says Rui Casais, CTO of Funcom. "After thorough evaluations we found Allegorithmic to be a professional partner with solid technical solutions. Collaborating with Allegorithmic has been a pleasure for Funcom."
The dramatically reduced client size and improved visual quality enabled by Substance Air gives these developers a competitive edge by providing players with stunning graphic quality while keeping download sizes manageable. Substance Air was integrated into their development pipelines, with support provided by Allegorithmic for in-house engines.
"By partnering with Allegorithmic, Stray Bullet Games has leveraged a truly disruptive technology," says Mark Nausha, CEO of Stray Bullet Games. "Texture sizes for our game are being reduced orders of magnitude. In our business, download size can directly equate to money. With the reduced texture footprint, we can deliver more for less without sacrificing quality. It's a win-win."
Results at Stray Bullet Games and Funcom were obtained within a short time frame thanks to powerful templates, easy integration and adapted training. The workflow in Substance Air allows for real-time interaction, fast prototyping and rapid iteration while a game is being produced. An innovative hybrid approach makes Substance Air adaptable for a wide variety of game production staff, from traditional artists to level designers.
"I am especially proud to announce the first licensees of this caliber for our latest product, Substance Air," says Dr. Sebastien Deguy, president and founder of Allegorithmic. "Funcom and Stray Bullet Games are among the very best in the field and their rapid jump into Substance Air is both inspiring and fitting. I am anxious to see the magic they will create using our most advanced product to date."
About Funcom
Funcom is a world leading independent developer and publisher of MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games. Funcom was founded in 1993 and has since then developed and published over 25 game titles across several gaming platforms. Most notable of these are the MMOs "Age of Conan" and "Anarchy Online," as well as the adventure game "The Longest Journey."
About Stray Bullet Games
Stray Bullet Games is an independent developer of Massively Multiplayer Online entertainment founded by key developers from Wolfpack Studios, the creators of "Shadowbane." Based in Austin, Texas, Stray Bullet Games develops products and services for a worldwide customer base with the mission of establishing a new standard in the areas of virtual 3D environments and persistent world gaming. For more information, please visit http://www.straybulletgames.com.
About Allegorithmic
Founded in 2003 and based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Allegorithmic is an emerging leader in the 3D effects industry. The company specializes in creating advanced authoring software and middleware that is designed to simplify the process of creating high-quality textures for next-generation content developers. The company's two flagship products are Substance and ProFX. Allegorithmic has partnered with some of the industry's leading games and technology companies, including Epic Games, NCsoft, The9, Acony Games, Ready at Dawn, Emergent Games Technologies and Microsoft. For more information on Allegorithmic and its products, please visit www.allegorithmic.com.
###
© Copyright 2009 Allegorithmic. All products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
For more information, press only:
Liaison Inc.
Lizzie Bennett, (503) 796-9822, lizzie@liaisonpr.com
Jennifer Foss, (503) 796-9822, jennifer@liaisonpr.com
Reader contact:
Allegorithmic
31 rue Gonod
63000 Clermont-Ferrand
France
+33 4 73 34 70 80
www.allegorithmic.com