SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 28, 1997 — Softimage Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., today announced at the Computer Game Developers Conference that it has entered into a development agreement with Nintendo to create a Nintendo Game Development Environment (GDE) for Softimage® 3D. The GDE will provide new video game development tools for Nintendo 64 developers using Softimage 3D. For the first time, developers will be able to use Softimage 3D as a tightly integrated component of the Nintendo 64 development environment. This powerful combination will result in titles that take full advantage of Nintendo 64’s powerful graphics capabilities.
The Nintendo GDE is part of a continuing program by Softimage to support video game developers on all major game platforms. Because of its close cooperation with developers and platform vendors, Softimage has emerged as a leading provider of game development tools; it provides the most comprehensive solutions for video game development. The team effort with Nintendo supports this goal and demonstrates the Softimage commitment to serving the unique needs of the video game development community.
“Until now, developers of games for Nintendo’s 64-bit system were forced to develop their own Nintendo tools using the Softimage SDK,” said Moshe Lichtman, president of Softimage. “This new GDE allows developers to concentrate on producing world-class titles rather than development tools. We look forward to continued joint efforts with Nintendo to provide one of the most comprehensive development environments for creators of Nintendo game titles.”
The GDE provides tools for seamless export and import of geometry, hierarchies, camera, lights, materials, textures, animation and polygon rendering attributes to ease the production process. A polygon attribute editor allows designers to control Nintendo 64-specific rendering attributes on a per-polygon basis, and an on-target viewer allows designers to quickly preview the contents of their Softimage scenes on the development hardware. The on-target viewer provides powerful camera manipulation and playback control. These tools help ensure that high-quality content created in Softimage 3D will maintain its rich, dynamic look when displayed on Nintendo 64 consoles.
“With this joint effort, Nintendo 64 game developers will have access to another set of powerful tools, so all our products will continue to give players realistic and exciting games,” said Howard Lincoln, chairman, Nintendo of America. “The new GDE will allow developers to fully exploit the industry-leading 64-bit graphics capabilities plus the power of the Nintendo 64 within an easy-to-use integrated development environment.”
Softimage 3D was used to create the character animation and other stunning content for Nintendo 64’s flagship game, Super Mario 64. Other Nintendo titles created with Softimage include Nekketu Professional Baseball King and Wave Race 64. To date, Nintendo has shipped more than 6 million Nintendo 64 systems worldwide.
The new Nintendo 64 targeted tools will be shown publicly for the first time in the Softimage booth at the Computer Game Developers Conference.
Company Information
Nintendo Company Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan, is the leader in the worldwide $15 billion retail video game industry. Nintendo and its international subsidiaries have sold more than 1 billion video games worldwide. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American homes own a Nintendo system.
For more information on Nintendo, log on to Nintendo’s Web site on the Internet, (http://www.nintendo.com/) .
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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