Gamebryo Interview (con'd)

FiringSquad: Recently the company announced plans to support the AEGIA physics engine. How will this support Gamebryo in becoming a solid game graphics tool?

John Austin: We believe the AGEIA PhysX SDK provides the best physics solution for game developers. Integrating AGEIA PhysX technology with Gamebryo gives us a potent cross-platform physics solution that will work with PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC, especially those equipped with the AGEIA PhysX processor. And customers who are developing PC games will be able to create games that are even more realistic.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the company's plans for new and improved product announcements at this year's GDC?

John Austin: We’ll be launching a powerful new set of modular game development tools that brings together stand-alone metrics, automation and 3D graphics technologies into a flexible, integrated framework. These new tools enable developers to focus on the craft of game development, arming them with new tools for building, testing and managing their games with more flexibility and control than ever before.

This is the first time such a comprehensive set of tools has been offered by a single company and we’ve already seen a lot of interest and excitement from beta customers and others who have previewed our technology. We’re really excited about how the market will receive these products.

FiringSquad: How does the company feel about the next generation consoles (PS3-Xbox 360-Revolution) and Emergent's role in creating tools that will work on those consoles?

John Austin: Titles for the next generation are going to require a tremendous amount of effort to truly take advantage of the power in the console. We’re glad to finally be seeing next-gen consoles hit the market, after doing so much work in advance of their release to ensure that Gamebryo is completely optimized for developing games for them. It’s just as gratifying to see a beautiful game like Oblivion hitting the market on a next-gen platform—Xbox 360.

FiringSquad: How will the release of Windows Vista and DirectX10 later this year affect how Emergent will improve Gamebryo and its other products?

John Austin: We put out two new releases each year that continually evolve and add new features to Gamebryo – so in that respect it’s not a great impact. Windows Vista and DX10 have some features that will make it a great gaming platform and Gamebryo will be there to support it. .

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Emergent and Gamebryo's plans for the future?

John Austin: You’ll see us dramatically expanding our offerings, building on the solid foundation of new technologies we’ll announce at GDC. Simply put, we’re redefining the craft of game development. We want to see developers excel at their craft, and we think we’re giving them the tools and engines they need to do just that.

On behalf of FiringSquad, we’d like to thank Emergent’s John Austin for participating in this interview. For more info on the Gamebryo engine, visit Emergent’s website here