EA license Animation Science Corp's middleware package for their PlayStation2 first-person shooter

Electronic Arts bought into Sony's middleware program early this week with the announcement that they're partnering Animation Science Corp in the development of CrossFire (formerly known as X-Fire).

Animation Science Corp specialise in real-time interactive 3D animation, effects and behaviour simulation technologies, and plan to build these features into the 'other' first-person shooter (the first being From Software's Eternal Ring) on PlayStation2.

Animation Science are licensing their particle physics technologies to EA-Square (the Japanese publishing sister of Square-EA in the West) for CrossFire. The game's designers plan on making use of PlayStation2's massive floating point processing power for leveraging Animation Science's character behaviours, complex physical simulations and real-time special effects.

"Animation Science are proud to deliver their rules-based technology to noted leaders in the worldwide market for game software and devices,'' said Eyal Cohen, President of Animation Science. "This new title will take the interactive game genre to a new level of fantasy. Sony have raised the bar with a more powerful game device architecture. EA Square's advanced game engine will take full advantage of the new PlayStation capabilities to enhance the gaming experience. Animation Science provide the critical middleware link, with TV/film broadcast quality ambience created by their physics particle technology.''

"Animation Science bring proven, advanced rules-based animation to the enormous market for real-time interactive games,'' said Ray Nakazato, Vice President of Product Development for EA Square. "Their deep knowledge of special effects and simulation and experience in integrating and deploying these technologies make Animation Science ideally suited to team with us in this large-scale, fast turnaround development project.''


Courtesy of IGN.com