A joint venture between talent management agency ICM, communications and media group Telewest, and business concept developer Extreme Finance, START! games is committed to revitalising the video games industry. This is achieved using a unique new development model, one designed to provide independent games developers with essential funding and support during the prototyping stages of a project. START! games is then able to act as an agent to secure a deal, with publishers in turn able to utilise START! games as a completely unique one-stop shop of ready-to-sign potential hits.
“START! games frees developers of early financial worries and ultra-conservative commercial considerations, so they are able to focus on original, innovative and exciting new games concepts,” comments Shahid Ahmad, managing director of START! games. “Now the deal between START! games and Alias | Wavefront adds the incentive of completely free access to Maya, an application that has already gained industry-wide respect for its powerful developer-orientated toolset.”
Alias | Wavefront’s Maya software is recognised as the leading program for the creation of cutting edge software. Much more than a mere graphics package, the Maya platform can be used as an integral part of the development pipeline, placing an extensive range of tools in the hands of artists and programmers.
Maya’s flexibility, efficiency and power make it ideal for modelling and texturing the complex real-time 3D content and rendered animations that drive next generation titles on PC, XBox, Playstation 2 and Gamecube. A huge number of hit games have already been developed using the Maya platform, including Fantasy X from Square, Grand Turismo 3 from Polyphony, Jak and Daxter from Naughty Dog, Madden NFL 2002 from Electronic Arts, WWF Smackdown from THQ and Ace Combat 4 from Namco.
The deal with Alias | Wavefront gives developers backed by START! games complete, free use of Maya software, plus access to invaluable free technical support. By utilising Maya right through the prototyping stage, developers are thus able to create more efficient, graphically advanced and commercially desirable software right from the word go.
“This is a great initiative by START! games. At last there is an opportunity for developers to focus on concept rather than funding so that they can unleash their ideals and creativity, ” adds Alias | Wavefront’s European Business Development Manager, Mark Cass. “Many game studios are now adopting Maya, and through this program we hope to facilitate their transition. Alias | Wavefront is very pleased to be associated with START! Games and looks forward to bringing something new to the industry with this powerful collaboration.”