“The new business model offered by START! Games is unlike anything that’s come before,” comments Shahid Ahmad, managing director of START! Games. “Putting the emphasis back on the creation of bold and exciting games software, we’re able to fund and help developers looking to take concepts through the prototype stage. This latest partnership gives developers a further head start, providing access and support to Criterion’s RenderWare Platform.”

A joint venture between talent management agency ICM, communications and media group Telewest, and business concept developer Extreme Finance, START! Games’ revolutionary new approach is engineered to give independent developers freedom from financial and commercial pressures, enabling them to focus on the creation of original and innovative new software. START! Games is then able to work to secure deals for demo code, offering publishers a unique opportunity to pick and choose from a portfolio of ready-to-develop prototypes.

“Criterion Software is pleased to support START! Games on its mission to promote exciting new games through its funding and support of developers,” noted Mike King, COO of Criterion. “RenderWare frees up the developer’s resources to focus on the creativity and gameplay required to make chart topping games, so this is a great match.”

RenderWare Platform provides a high performance, tightly integrated development kit for the creation of content across multiple formats, and enables developers to focus on great gameplay. More than 250 development studios already make use of Criterion’s development platform for the creation of software on the Playstation 2, Xbox, GameCube and PC Formats. The prestigious list of licensees includes EA, Acclaim, Activision, DMA Design, Konami, Midway, Rage, Sony, and THQ & Ubisoft, with chart-topping titles such as Grand Theft Auto III, Pro Evolution Soccer and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 all relying on RenderWare.