SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 28, 1997 — To mark the opening of the 1997 Computer Game Developers Conference (CGDC), Softimage Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., today announced that more than 1,000 companies are now using its tools for game development and interactive-title creation. In the past two years, more than 300 games have been created using Softimage® 3D. In 1996 alone, more than 180 games were created using Softimage, of which 11 have been nominated for this year’s Computer Game Developers Conference and Computer Game Developers Association (CGDA) prestigious Spotlight Awards for outstanding creative and technical innovations in the field of interactive entertainment.
“We are encouraged that so many exciting titles developed with Softimage have been released this year and that these games have dominated the nominee list for this year’s Spotlight Awards,” said Moshe Lichtman, president of Softimage. “The game development SWAT team at Softimage is solely dedicated to delivering the specialized tools required to create award-winning titles. We are thrilled to see a majority of the titles nominated for awards and so many exciting games enter the market that are created with Softimage.”
Softimage has dedicated an entire team to enhancing Softimage 3D to meet the specific needs of game developers. Examples of new game enhancement features include texture
prelighting, integrated 3-D paint with color at vertex, hierarchy filtering and specific game development environments (GDEs) for Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and the Microsoft® Direct X
™
set of APIs. GDE capabilities include tools for the import and export (export only for Nintendo 64) of geometry, hierarchies, animation data, camera, lights, materials, textures and polygon rendering attributes, which ease production and enhance the creative process while delivering greater realism for game players. These tools also ensure that high-quality content created in Softimage 3D will maintain its rich, dynamic look when displayed on consoles and PC platforms.
Spotlight Awards
CGDC and CGDA jointly sponsor the Spotlight Awards, which recognize outstanding creative or technical contributions to the field of interactive entertainment. These awards reflect the organization’s long tradition of honoring the best game developers in the world. Games released in 1996 running on PCs or Macintosh computers, game consoles, the Internet or arcade platforms are eligible for consideration. Spotlight Award nominees created with Softimage 3D include Super Mario 64, Tekken 2, Resident Evil and Wipeout XL for Best Console Game (four of the five nominees), and Virtua Fighter3, Wave Race 64 and Wipeout XL for Best Animation (three of the four computer-animated nominees). Other outstanding Softimage-created games were nominated in the following categories: Best Visual Art, Best PC/Mac Game, Best Arcade Game, Best Action Game, Best Sports Game and Best Game of 1996.
The Spotlight Awards Ceremony will be held during the Computer Game Developers Conference at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Monday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. Members of CGDA and registrants of the CGDC will select the winners.
About Softimage
Founded in 1986, Softimage develops software for media-rich applications including video, film, interactive games and CD-ROM applications. Products include Softimage 3D
(high-end animation), Softimage Eddie (compositing) and Softimage Toonz (2-D cel animation). Additional information about Softimage and Microsoft can be found via the Internet at (http://www.softimage.com/) and http://www.microsoft.com/ respectively.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Softimage is a registered trademark of Softimage Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.
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