Scaleform Announces GFx 3.0 and New Video Solution
GREENBELT, Md., March 12 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Release accelerates workflow, productivity, and establishes new
standard for quality
Scaleform(R) Corporation (Scaleform), the groundbreaking force in interactive
entertainment middleware and user interface (UI) engines for video games, today
announced Scaleform GFx(TM) 3.0, with powerful new features, optimizations and a
new premium video module that enables game developers to cut costs and minimize
development risk while advancing game quality. Scaleform GFx 3.0 alpha is
available for qualified developers and will be featured at the GDC 2009 Expo from
March 25-27 in San Francisco, CA. Special introductory pricing is available
through March 31, 2009.
Scaleform GFx 3.0 is a major release that introduces new productivity
tools to speed the creation, assembly and optimization of UI elements. It
significantly accelerates workflow to empower artists and designers to design
more freely and autonomously, while allowing programmers to focus on creating
the highest quality gameplay rather than building time-consuming custom tools.
"Our objective to ensure Scaleform is synonymous with competitive advantage
for game developers and publishers achieves a new standard with
Scaleform GFx 3.0," said Brendan Iribe, president and CEO of Scaleform.
"Scaleform GFx 3.0 delivers a new workflow paradigm including a fully integrated
Scaleform Video(TM) module, complete prebuilt Adobe(R) Flash(R) UI
component set, and other substantial productivity enhancements. With Scaleform
GFx 3.0 improving our customers' production process, an investment in Scaleform
is an investment in a team's ultimate success."
"Scaleform has enabled BioWare to accelerate our workflow processes, which
helps us ensure our games are consistently high quality," said Dr. Ray Muzyka,
general manager and CEO of BioWare, the award-winning developer of Mass
Effect(TM) and the highly anticipated Dragon Age(TM): Origins, and general
manager and vice president, Electronic Arts. "Scaleform's middleware allows our
creative talent to focus on higher level tasks, helping BioWare's teams fulfill
our mission to deliver the best story-driven games in the world to our fans."
Scaleform GFx 3.0 feature highlights:
- Scaleform Video(TM), powered by the award-winning CRI Movie(TM) from
CRI Middleware (www.cri-mw.com), is a premium module licensed directly
from Scaleform that allows game designers to add high performance video
playback capabilities to their Flash assets. Unlike existing video
engines, which are focused solely on standalone full screen video,
Scaleform expands the possibilities and workflow with fully integrated
Flash video component support. Using the new Scaleform Video module,
developers can play high-resolution, noise-free videos for intro logos,
main menus, HUDs, in-game textures, full-screen cinematic cut scenes,
and "green screen" per-pixel alpha composited effects. The CRI Movie
codec was selected due to its proven success in hundreds of games and
significant playback and encoding advantages over existing video codecs.
See companion announcement, Scaleform and CRI Middleware Announce
Exclusive Licensing Agreement
- Scaleform CLIK(TM) ("Common Lightweight Interface Kit") helps accelerate
the design and development of UIs on multiple platforms including PCs,
consoles and mobile devices. Architected by the gskinner.com team,
led by world-famous Flash expert Grant Skinner, the Scaleform CLIK
component architecture and workflow enhancement tools enable users to
rapidly create sophisticated user interfaces from prototype to final
design. By easily iterating the look and feel through all stages of the
development pipeline, Scaleform CLIK dramatically reduces the time and
costs of developing UI elements.
- Scaleform AMP(TM) ("Analyzer for Memory and Performance") is designed
to offer insight into memory usage and other important performance
metrics developers require to improve real-time playback. This critical
new feature set allows users to quickly optimize content by making it
easier to identify inefficiencies and hot spots, enabling faster
iteration and integration.
- Garbage Collection enables more efficient programming by detecting and
removing circular references in ActionScript(TM) code via an optimized
reference count collection algorithm. Developers no longer have to worry
about ActionScript memory leaks.
- Audio Playback for sounds embedded in Flash SWF and Scaleform GFX files,
as well as multichannel audio from Scaleform Video playback.
"Scaleform CLIK is great for building video game user interface elements
faster than ever before," said Graham Wihlidal, senior programmer, BioWare.
"Scaleform has demonstrated its on-the-ground understanding of production by
architecting a framework that truly accelerates development. Scaleform CLIK
provides more control to UI designers, while offering an increased pipeline
and runtime consistency that is needed for console development."
Details on these features, as well as more information on enhancements to
the Scaleform IME ("Input Method Editor") Module and tighter game engine
integration with leading engines such as Epic Unreal(R) Engine 3, Emergent
Gamebryo(TM), and Crytek CryENGINE(TM) can be found at the Scaleform website
Availability, Pricing and Special Introductory Offer
Scaleform GFx 3.0 Alpha is available now. The new release will introduce
new pricing that aligns with the value of the Scaleform GFx 3.0 feature set
and functionality. Scaleform Video is licensed separately and is available
directly from Scaleform worldwide, with the exception of Japan, where it is
available for license from CRI Middleware.
As a special introductory offer, Scaleform is offering pricing that
enables customers who purchase prior to March 31, 2009 to secure the full
Scaleform GFx 3.0 release at the Scaleform GFx 2.2 price, plus receive the
new Scaleform Video module for free. Contact sales@scaleform.com for more
information on this promotion.
About Scaleform
Scaleform Corporation revolutionizes the interaction between humans and
media with its groundbreaking user interface (UI) design environment for
video games. Enabling a new way of crafting media, Scaleform functions as an
extension of its clients' teams, enhancing and streamlining the development
process with technical ingenuity and accelerated workflow while lowering
risk. The company's flagship solution, Scaleform GFx, is fast becoming
ubiquitous in UI design, driving over 300 titles worldwide across multiple
platforms, and is integrated with leading game engines for rapid,
artist-driven UI and casual game development on PC and console systems. Visit
Scaleform at the GDC 2009 Expo March 25-27, Booth 6018, North Expo Hall.
About BioWare
BioWare develops computer, console, handheld and online video games
focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has
created some of the world's best-selling titles including the award-winning
Baldur's Gate(TM) and Neverwinter Nights(TM) series, Star Wars(R): Knights of
the Old Republic(TM) and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the Nintendo
DS(TM). Original BioWare-created intellectual properties include
Jade Empire(TM) and the 2007 Game of the Year, Mass Effect. With studios in
Edmonton, Canada, and Austin, Texas, BioWare is hard at work on the epic fantasy
RPG, Dragon Age(TM): Origins, and a story-driven MMO, Star Wars(R):
The Old Republic(TM) as well as several unannounced projects. In 2008, BioWare
was acquired by the world's leading electronic entertainment publisher,
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in
1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software
worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and
the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA
SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA SPORTS Freestyle(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2008, EA
posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than
one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More
information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on
*BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or
registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.
in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and
POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the
U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft
group of companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their
respective holders.
For more information, or to be added to our list to receive news and press
releases, please contact press@scaleform.com
SOURCE: Scaleform Corporation
CONTACT: Wendy Beasley,
+1-919-949-2406,
press@scaleform.com
NEWS 
