[IGDA_indies] next steps

[Ben Sawyer]

FYI - this just blasted out on the Games Research Network...

-----Original Message-----
From: Games Research Network [mailto:GAMESNETWORK@uta.fi] On Behalf Of =
Jason
Rutter
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 11:36 AM
To: GAMESNETWORK@uta.fi
Subject: [GAMESNETWORK] 3D mobile gaming competition : $50,000 Prize


Discreet and Partners Announce the First International 3D Mobile Gaming
Competition to Drive 3D Mobile Game Development Together with Nokia, =
Orange,
Intel, IBM, In-Fusio, Criterion, Fathammer, NVIDIA, Kaolink and =
Ideaworks3D,
Discreet Kicks off Competition at IMAGINA 2004, Feb 2-5, Monaco

IMAGINA, February 3, 2004 - Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc, and
mobile games industry partners today announced the launch of the first
international 3D mobile gaming competition. With prizes totalling a =
value of
more than US $50,000, the contest represents a unique opportunity for
independent mobile gaming artists or developers, traditional PC/Console =
game
developers and 3D freelance artists to realise their creative concepts =
for
mobile games. It also offers an opportunity for existing mobile game
developers to showcase their mobile game titles that are either in
development or already available.

This international competition is supported by some of the most =
significant
mobile gaming players in their respective fields:

Discreet, a world leader in 3D content creation, including 2.5D and 3D
Mobile Games and developer of 3ds maxR and character studioR =
professional
animation software;

Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications;

Orange, one of the world's largest mobile communications operators, =
widely
recognised as an innovator, driving new mobile applications by =
supporting
world-wide 3rd party developers;

In-fusio, a leading mobile games service provider;

Fathammer, a world-leading provider of game development tools for =
advanced
mobile gaming

IBM, a world-leading digital content creation solution for media and
entertainment;

Intel, a world-wide leader in technology for content creation;

NVIDIA, the market-leading provider of professional graphics, as well as
innovative products for the handheld and mobile market;

Criterion, a leading provider of middleware for the games industry; and
Hybrid, a leading provider of embedded graphics middleware for the =
mobile
market.

Ideaworks3D and Kaolink, 2 fast-growing mobile game development service
providers.

Targeting 3D as well as 2.5D mobile gaming, the contest is divided into =
two
main categories, Downloadable and Non-Downloadable mobile games and will
focus on exploiting the latest, cutting-edge technologies and gaming
hardware handsets. These range from current phones and the Nokia N-Gage
platform, to high-end next-generation and Java phones.

The 3D Mobile Gaming contest, launched at the IMAGINA 2004 tradeshow, =
will
also be promoted at major international industry events including 3GSM =
in
Cannes, France (February 23-26) and GDC 2004, in San Jose, California =
(March
22-26), as well as during the Discreet European Games Tour that will run
until the end of July 2004. The winners will be announced this summer.

The deadline for entries is 31st March.

Dependent on specific needs, the winners will receive prizes that will
assist in the co-development and co-production of their project. In
addition, the developers of the best concept will receive tool kits to =
aid
the development of their project.

"This competition is a huge opportunity for talented mobile games =
developers
and artists to showcase their skills to the world, and can give a major
boost to their future success. Developers can also benefit in developing =
and
promoting their businesses from the industry-related prizes from =
Discreet
and its technology partners," says Martin Vann, vice president, =
worldwide
Sales and Marketing for Discreet. "With this contest, Discreet clearly
commits itself to this emerging market and reaffirms its position as =
leader
in the creation of cutting-edge 3D content," added Vann.

Game developers and freelancers across Europe and World are invited to
register and get more information on the competition at
www.3dmobilegamingcontest.com

About 3ds max
Discreet 3ds max software has the largest installed base in the 3D =
industry
and is the preferred 3D software in the core production environment for =
UBI
Soft, Rockstar Games, Electronic Arts, HOK, Ellerbe Becket, Blur =
Studios,
Frantic Films, Digital Dimensions-along with other leading design and
entertainment firms.

>From the latest radical Burton snowboard designs and the first 3D=20
>design
visualisation software used by the Frank Lloyd WrightR TaliesinR West =
School
of Architecture-to the enthralling visual effects scenes found in The =
Last
Samurai and interactive twists and turns found in the best-selling game
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or the popular Prince of Persia:The Sands of
Time for Microsoft Xbox-3ds max continues its widespread popularity and
leadership as the preferred 3D production solution of top artists and
designers worldwide.

About Discreet
Discreet empowers media professionals to realize the visual experience =
and
transform their vision into reality. Discreet's award-winning solutions =
are
designed for digital media creation, management and delivery-across all
disciplines from film and television visual effects, colour grading and
editing to animation, game development, and design visualisation. =
Discreet
is based in Montreal, Quebec and is a division of Autodesk, Inc, the =
world's
leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution
company. www.discreet.com.

About Orange
Orange and wirefree are trademarks of Orange PCS. The Orange group is =
one of
the world's largest mobile communications companies, with operations in =
19
countries across Europe and beyond. It provides a broad range of =
personal
communications services, including Orange GSM1800 services and other =
digital
cellular telephone services. The Orange brand operates in the UK, =
France,
Switzerland, Romania, Denmark, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Thailand, the Ivory
Coast, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Botswana and
Madagascar. The Orange group also has controlled operations in Belgium
(Mobistar). The Orange group has a joint controlling interest in Egypt
(MobiNil) and minority interests in Portugal (Optimus), Austria (One), =
and
Mumbai/India (BPL Mobile). As at the end of September 2003, Orange was =
the
largest mobile operator in both the UK with 13 million active customers, =
and
France with over 19 million registered customers. As at the end of =
September
2003, Orange controlled companies had 45.6 million customers worldwide.
Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange website at
www.orange.com.

Ideaworks3D
Ideaworks3D is the world's leading developer of content and technology =
for
connected mobile gaming on smartphone devices. The company has an
unparalleled track record of innovation and market leadership in this =
field,
recently supplying Nokia with both the technology and content behind the
launch of the N-Gage ArenaTM, the world's first globally available,
multiplayer wireless gaming service. Visit: www.mobilegames.com.

###
Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Discreet, 3ds max and character
studio are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.
/Autodesk Canada Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand
names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
CCopyright 2004, Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact:
Stewart-Muir Communications
Paul Nolan / Janine Maxwell
020 8892 9207
discreet@stewartmuir.com
--
Dr Jason Rutter

Mobile Entertainment: User Centred Perspectives
25th-27th March 2004
www.mobile-ent.org

ESRC DigiPlay Seminar series www.cric.ac.uk/cric/digi/digisems.htm

ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition (CRIC), The
University of Manchester, Harold Hankins Building, Booth Street West,
Manchester, M13 9QH. UK
PH: +44 (0) 161 275 6859   Fax: +44 (0) 161 275 7361
http://www.cric.ac.uk/cric/Jason_Rutter