Alias|Wavefront has reached an agreement with Microsoft Corp. to become the official developer of tools and middleware for the Xbox video game system. Xbox, the future generation of Microsoft’s game system, is due to be launched this autumn and will set new trends throughout the industry.
“Xbox is the right choice for game developers who want to produce high quality game titles,” commented Seamus Blackley, Xbox Technology Officer. “A key factor in the design process is access to robust and flexible 3D graphics software.”
“I’m always impressed when I see the outstanding calibre of work our customers are producing,” adds Tom Harper, Alias|Wavefront Product Manager, Games/Interactive. “This is especially true of the early Xbox titles being developed with Maya: The depth and quality of the content is really compelling. Our Xbox developer customers are particularly fond of the Maya API and the MEL scripting language.”
Maya for Xbox games
The “heavyweight” game developer, Electronic Arts, has recently announced that production of Xbox titles will soon begin. “Captivating, stunning visuals are one of the most important ingredients in any successful game,” said John Rix, Director, Digital Production Services at Electronic Arts. “Alias|Wavefront has added features to Maya that meet the needs of our game production, and we’ve made it an integral part of our 3D productions.”
Alias|Wavefront’s Maya software also played a significant role in the development of the famous Xbox title “Munch’s Odyssey,” the game designed by Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc. and previewed by Bill Gates at the recent CES conference. “For Oddworld’s film-oriented production needs, we used Maya because it’s the best all-in-one solution for artistic needs available today,” said Lorne Lanning, President/Creative Director, Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc. “When it comes to modelling, character animation, atmospheric and particle effects, we are well served by Maya. By allowing us to design our own interface, write our own utilities, use scripts and choose from a wide selection of existing plug-ins, Maya has saved us a lot of time that would otherwise be lost working with different tools. This allowed us to concentrate on the quality of the content.”
