6 May 2008 GO SPEED RACER! IN STORES NOW!

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

SPEED RACER: THE VIDEOGAME

Players Delve into a High-Octane World of Combat Action Racing Based on the Upcoming Film Opening this Friday, May 9th

Burbank, Calif. — May 6, 2008 — Speed Racer: The Videogame, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, hits stores across North America today on Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. Based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film directed by the Wachowski brothers, Speed Racer: The Videogame features the voices of Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer, Matthew Fox as Racer X and Christina Ricci as Trixie, who reprise their film roles as playable characters.

In Speed Racer: The Videogame, developed by Sidhe Interactive for the Wii and Virtuos for the Nintendo DS, players will race at amazing speeds to engage in “Car-Fu” battles to outmaneuver opponents as they jump, flip, smash and spin competing cars off the track. Select from 19 different drivers and their extreme cars as players take to the track in an effort to win the illustrious World Racing League cup. One of the first games compatible with the Wii Wheel, Speed Racer: The Videogame allows players to experience all the twists and turns of the film’s racing sequences first hand as they jump behind the wheel of Speed’sT180 race car the Mach 6, or the specially designed T180 race cars of more than 15 other characters, including Racer X, Trixie and other film favorites.

Speed Racer: The Videogame captures the action, look and feel of the high adrenaline arena racing developed for the movie in an accessible, fun-filled game with intense, rollercoaster-like race tracks. Award-winning composer Winifred Phillips, created an original score for the videogame, fusing rock, classical and retro beats into a truly unique game soundtrack.

Speed Racer: The Videogame is a fast-paced, action racer for kids of all ages. Speed Racer: The Videogame is rated “E” for Everyone and is available on Wii at the suggested retail price of $49.99 and Nintendo DS for $29.99.

Contact:

Jos Ruffell
Business Development Executive
Sidhe Interactive
www.sidheinteractive.com
jos@sidheinteractive.com

Remi Sklar
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
818.977.3023
remi.sklar@warnerbros.com

13 February 2008 GRIPSHIFT® TURBO EXPANSION PACK EXPLODES ONTO XBOX LIVE ARCADE

Wellington, New Zealand - February 13, 2008 - Sidhe Interactive, industry leading developer of cross platform titles, today announced the immediate availability of the Turbo Expansion Pack for GripShift® on Xbox LIVE® Arcade, the premier destination for digitally distributed, high-definition original and classic games. GripShift fans will enjoy tons of bonus content including all-new single player and multiplayer modes, eight new Race Tracks, eight new Deathmatch Arenas, and eighteen brand new music tracks.

"With Turbo we wanted to extend the GripShift experience for fans that loved the game's initial content." said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "GripShift Turbo's bonus single player mini-games will ensure endless excitement for veteran players, while the new multiplayer mode gives new players a competitive edge. Penguin Bowling, the popular mini-game from the PSP version, is returning with as much penguin crushing excitement as ever."

The Turbo Expansion Pack has brand-new single player bonus mini-games including the immensely popular Penguin Bowling and challenging Playground as well as the exciting Snaker. Reverse Tag, the new multiplayer mode, challenges competitors to master their wit, weapons, and skills like never before.

The Turbo Expansion Pack for GripShift® on Xbox LIVE Arcade is available for download now from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for only 350 Microsoft points.

09 January 2008 Wandering Monster Studios launches libRocket, Game UI Authoring Tool

Wadering Monster Studios has released libRocket, a middleware tool for C++ game developers that simplifies the construction of user interfaces.

libRocket lets game developers design interface screens with the commonly known languages HTML and CSS. This provides separation of content from visual representation, allowing style changes to propagate easily across the entire game interface.

"No longer will elements have to be manually positioned and wrapped with clumsy resizing code." said Lloyd Weehuizen, Director of Wandering Monster Studios, "Historically, a disproportionate amount of development time is spent on the interface and we hope libRocket will help alleviate that problem. We've bent over backwards to open it up for extensibility and customisation, and have included the full source code to the user controls."

libRocket is available for Windows PC, Intel Mac and Linux. For more information, or a free trial version, visit the website at www.librocket.com.

Contact: Peter Curry

Email: peter@wanderingmonster.co.nz

01 November 2007 ENTERTAINMENT GURUS CONVERGE ON WELLINGTON NEXT WEEK!

Wellington is hosting AnimfxNZ next week, a showcase of the best and brightest talent from the games, animation and special effects industry.

The line-up is a mix of both Emmy and Academy Award winners from across the globe for magic behind the scenes in digital design and technology innovation.

Dan Curry Visual Effects Producer for Star Trek: Enterprise; Michael Carrington, Executive Creative Director of CBeebies (the top performing children’s television brand, U.K.), Duncan Brinsmead, one of the principal scientists at Autodesk and creator of Maya Paint Effects, Maya Hair and Maya Toon, Rita Street co-producer of the Nicktoons Film Festival with Frederator Studios for the Nicktoons cable channel and Jason Manley CEO of Massive Black.

Another giant of the sfx world speaking at AnimfxNZ is Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker, Canada’s largest animation and VFX studio. Franklin was a key member of George Lucas' creative and management team for more than a decade where he was responsible for creating the Lucasfilm Entertainment Group and served as the Group Vice President managing its six divisions.

AnimfxNZ will also include the leading lights of the New Zealand animation, games and sfx industry with speakers from Academy Award winning studio Weta Digital, the largest games studio in New Zealand, Sidhe Interactive and a number of studios from all over New Zealand (Flux Media, Karactaz, Cobalt vfx, Straylight and many more…).

The combination of local and international talent will not only foster dialogue about design and technology innovation, but take the audience behind the scenes to see the intricacies of production. It is hoped that new partnerships will from to create new collaborations for the future.

AnimfxNZ proves to be an exciting foray into the digital world for students, local creative technology industry talent and international producers and directors looking for new ideas and talent.

No great entertainment symposium is complete without a party and Sidhe Interactive have organised a waterfront party to coincide with Guy Fawkes night in Wellington on Monday 5th November. The party is set to literally going to ‘go off’!

Register now! We look forward to seeing you in Wellington on the 5th and 6th of November, Guy Fawkes night for the Party and 7th for the Student Masterclass Day.

www.animfxnz.com

17 October 2007 Pixelthis Game Nominated for Award

Pixelthis Mobile Flash Lite game ‘Mr. Ice Cream’ has been nominated in the preliminary judging round of the International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA). Mr. Ice Cream is nominated as one of 5 finalists in the ‘Best Casual Game’ category, is the only Flash Lite game in this category, and only one of two Flash Lite games nominated overall (of 25 games over 5 categories).

ABOUT THE GAME
Name: Mr. Ice Cream
Category: Arcade
Everyone's favourite Mr. Ice Cream is on his way! Serve delicious ice cream and toppings in 5 stunningly drawn locations around the world, and meet 30 international characters with their own unique animations. Can you help Mr. Ice Cream keep his customers happy?
Available: Late 2007

ABOUT PIXELTHIS MOBILE

Pixelthis is one of the worlds premier developers of quality, exciting casual games for the global market using Adobe Flash Lite technology.

Pixelthis has a successful history of developing online Flash games and other Flash based media for blue-chip clients such as Telecom (NZ), and have now turned their talents to the mobile games space.

Pixelthis works with aggregators and other content distributors to deliver their games throughout the world.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information, go to www.pixelthismobile.com, www.imgawards.com, or contact Peter Vullings (peter@pixelthis.co.nz).

09 August 2007 Sidhe to develop Speed Racer for PS2 And Wii

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will launch the Speed Racer videogame based on the upcoming film written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. Speed Racer is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures production. The game will be available in 2008 on the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems as the Speed Racer film hits theaters. It will be released on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system with the DVD launch.

In the Wii and PlayStation®2 system games, developed by Sidhe Interactive and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, players will be able to take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character's signature vehicles to experience firsthand the film's high adrenaline, combative racing style. The car-fu style of action within the game will closely represent the action style being designed by the Wachowski brothers for the film itself as they lend direction and assets to the development team directly from their Berlin set. John Gaeta, a long time Wachowski collaborator and Co-VFX Supervisor on the Speed Racer film, is working with Sidhe and WBIE to assist in maintaining a close film-to-game aesthetic connection.

"Speed Racer is an exceptionally creative property and teamed with the Wachowski brothers' vision it makes for action-packed racing gameplay," said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "The game will capture the intensity of the racing in the film to give gamers and movie fans a chance to take the wheel after the experience the film."

"We are very excited about this natural extension from the SPEED RACER film to the videogame. Larry and Andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire SPEED RACER experience," said film producer Joel Silver.

The game's development for the Wii™ and PlayStation®2 system platforms is led by the New Zealand-based Sidhe, a game development studio recognized for producing high quality entertainment titles with world class creative and software development skills. Developing across console, handheld, and PC, Sidhe has created a range of innovative products including a variety of racing titles.

Written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta) and produced by Joel Silver, Speed Racer is based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. A live-action family adventure, Speed Racer follows the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory on and off the track in his thundering Mach 5. The film will feature other characters that fans of the show will remember, including Speed's family and his mysterious arch-rival, Racer X. The new high-octane actioner will combine the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers' films, bringing Speed Racer into the 21st century. The film stars Emile Hirsch ("Alpha Dog") as Speed, Christina Ricci ("Black Snake Moan") as Trixie and Matthew Fox (TV's "Lost") as Racer X as well as Oscar winner Susan Sarandon ("Dead Man Walking") and John Goodman ("Evan Almighty") as Mom and Pops Racer.

26th July 2007 - The Vision Quest Experience invites you to Change the Future

In the future, audiences won’t just sit back and watch a story unfold; they’ll have the power to warp worlds, to meld mythologies, to become the story. The future is here, as V Global Media and Straylight Studios announce the world’s first interactive novels!

Deborah M Pratt –award winning producer and head writer of Quantum Leap- invites you to enter the wondrous landscape of The Vision Quest Online Experience. TheVisionQuest.com is a unique community-driven world where you can create a character, find items, watch videos, play games, make friends, and develop an online personality in a world of towering cities, strange creatures, and rogue artificial intelligence.

Join up and you could make history as on October 31 2007 the top user-generated character will be chosen to become a character in the series’ next book, making The Vision Quest the world’s first series of community-participation novels.

Imagine reading a novel set in a world that you can contribute to and influence its destiny. Imagine meeting your heroes from the books online. Imagine turning the page and seeing your character as part of the world and story!

Imagine no longer, the power is now in your hands to become part of this revolutionary new mode of storytelling called Interactive Narrative. This first competition will go live on August 1st to coincide with the release of Book One: The Age of Light at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com

Join now: www.thevisionquest.com

4th July 2007 - Games, Girls & Graphics

With New Zealand's youth rapidly increasing their digital awareness, and girls showing they aren't afraid to have a go, the games and graphics industry is thriving.

Join New Zealand's Game Development Community as they converge on Auckland's Town Hall to celebrate our most digitally advanced creative industry. With two jam-packed days of National and International speakers, G3 will be both interactive and spectacularly informative.

The event is free of charge and registration is essential. To view the programme and register your interest, please follow this link http://www.shoko.co.nz/g3/

22nd June 2007 - STRAYLIGHT ENTER 3D TRAINING MARKET with VIRTUAL KITCHEN

In a world first, Straylight Studios -New Zealand’s leading developer of games for training- announce the pilot release of their Virtual Kitchen Training Environment, raising the bar for food safety training and firmly establishing the company as a global competitor in the Serious Games marketplace.

Straylight’s CEO, Tim Nixon, has been guiding the company’s vision to bring games to the mass market by finding immediate vertical opportunities in the Serious Games sector, a highly untapped and lucrative marketplace. Previous Straylight developments focusing on such markets as Small Business and Injury Prevention training have paved the way for this highly detailed, yet incredibly intuitive educational tool.

Mr Nixon states that the unique challenge with mass market games lies not in driving graphics performance, but rather in “building an intuitive interface that can be understood by someone with no existing computer skills.” The team at Straylight offer a unique perspective in that their combination of design and engineering expertise drives a user centric approach, whether that user is a computer whiz or café kitchen hand.

THE KITCHEN

In this Serious Game, players are walked through a day in the life of a real world kitchen hand, thawing meats, baking pies, and preparing sandwiches.

Throughout the process the player must observe all the correct food safety standards such as cleaning down benches, checking temperatures of food, and washing hands. After being guided through the process once by a virtual tutor, the player must then complete the tasks on their own. Should they follow all the correct food hygiene steps, the player will pass and walk away with the required knowledge to safely work in a food handling environment.

The first client of The Kitchen, Otago Polytechnic, are thrilled to be trialling the technology within their campus. Mike Waddell, Marketing and Business Development Manager for the Polytechnic, cited the “high turnover of staff in the hospitality industry and constant concern about standards” as key issues demanding new approaches to a traditional problem.

As the list of queuing clients grows locally, the focus now shifts to the international marketplace, in particular to Europe, where world leading partners are already making plans to adopt the technology into their catalogue.

THE RESPONSE

Not only has the game quickly found a first client, but already it is attracting accolades from industry, being announced as a finalist in the Computerland Excellence Awards in the category of Innovative Use of IT.

The Kitchen is being commercialised by partner company The Street, whose CEO Nigel Kirkpatrick has heard nothing but glowing reviews for the product as he takes it to the international market. “It’s fantastic to see such innovative technology coming once again from our small yet significant country,” Mr Kirkpatrick said. “It’s becoming very obvious very quickly that there is a massive opportunity for Serious Games, especially in the compliance space.”

THE FUTURE

While the momentum gathered for this product is already huge, Mr Nixon insists that this really is only the beginning. “We’re working with partners in Europe, and the USA to ensure that we’re finding the most exciting opportunities worldwide, not just in the training space, but also in ways we can bring our distinct accessibility to the entertainment market.”

This innovative development and more are profiled on Straylight’s website http://www.straylight-studios.com/

Full resolution images available upon request.

All press enquiries:

Timothy Nixon
CEO
Straylight Studios
tim@straylight-studios.com
cell: +64 21 377 282
office: +64 3 474 2108

Straylight Studios
First Floor
115 Lower Stuart St
Dunedin
New Zealand

10 April 2007 - Cube™ for PlayStation®Portable

Game development studio Metia Interactive announced today that their original title, Cube™ for PlayStation®Portable, is due for release in the North America 24 April 2007, Japan 27 May 2007 and Europe 25 June 2007.

In preparation for the forthcoming launch, the official Cube website with screenshots, information and trailer has been launched www.thecubegame.com.

“Cube was designed specifically to take advantage of the PlayStation®Portable with features such as gameshare and adhoc multiplayer modes, " said Maru Nihoniho, Managing Director of Metia Interactive. "Cube comes in at a very competitive price point is a great purchase for PlayStation®Portable owners".

Warwick Light, Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand's General Manager - Sales & Marketing said "It's fantastic to see New Zealand made content on the PSP format. We offer our congratulations to Metia, Cube's thrilling and addictive game-play will surely make it a winning title on the PSP this year".

Available exclusively for the PlayStation®Portable, Cube is an addictive strategy/puzzle game that challenges players to make their way through suspended 3D worlds of platforms and mazes. Cube offers compelling single and multiplayer modes and allows players to create and share custom levels with friends. Each level is jam-packed with obstacles and collectible items for players of all ages to enjoy. Offering endless hours of replayability, players can explore Cube on impulse or take down total environments in one sitting. Cube delivers the addiction casual gamers have come to expect!

The features of Cube include:

Multiple Environments and Levels – Explore 9 themed zones and 135 compelling levels of gameplay.
Create And Share Puzzles With Friends – Build your own unique and custom levels by using the level editor.
Bonus Levels – Unlock 9 bonus levels and receive new challenges to conquer.
Unlockable Content – Unlock hidden music and add that music to your custom levels by completing the Rhythm Modes.
Challenging Obstacles – More than 13 different entities/triggers/hazards from “rolling bombs” to “sinker cubes” either helps or hinders your progress or use them to create and share custom puzzles.
Wireless Multiplayer Mode – Play Battle and Co-op mode in more than 35 levels!
Game Sharing – Share game-share levels with friends that don’t have their own copy of Cube.
Original Sound Track - Cube also features it’s own original soundtrack developed by Paddy Free and Michael Hodgson from New Zealand music group Pitch Black.

“Metia Interactive has a great working relationship with the team at D3Publisher and we are pleased to be collaborating with them on Cube. D3Publisher has given us the opportunity, time and freedom to create a game that will provide the fun factor that people expect in a puzzle game with simplistic stylish graphics, action elements and shared content” said Maru Nihoniho, Managing Director of Metia Interactive.

16 November 2006 - Media Design School is urgently looking for students for its Graduate Diploma of Game Development (Programming Stream).

Anyone with computer science degree or background could be eligible for the course.

The Goliath game by Media Design School's Game Development graduates was winner of the 2006 Independent Games Festival Student Showcase, San Francisco, USA.

Microsoft has also recently announced a landmark partnership between Kiwi filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh and Microsoft Game Studios to establish Wingnut Interactive - a New Zealand-based studio dedicated to the creation of world-class interactive entertainment.

As for the problems with some industries where graduates exceed industry need, the New Zealand Game Developers Association also said this year, "Given current enrolment numbers it would take until 2018 before we have enough graduates to get anywhere near (the target needed)."

For more information, visit Media Design School.

02 October 2006 - Sidhe continues scholarship support for Game Development students

Sidhe continues scholarship support for Game Development students Sidhe Interactive announced that they will offer a tuition scholarship to the value of NZ$4,000 for students wishing to study on Media Design School's Graduate Diploma of Game Development.

"The New Zealand game development industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years", commented Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "Sidhe is delighted to continue helping ensure this growth is sustainable by offering opportunities to emerging, talented individuals".

Sidhe will award the scholarship to one first year student enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Game Development commencing 6 November 2006. All NZ citizen or permanent resident students currently enrolled in this intake will be eligible, along with any subsequent applicants who submit their application to Media Design School before 27 October 2006.

The scholarship will be based upon candidates' skills and abilities, motivations and evidence of financial hardship. Media Design School will match the value of the scholarship for the student's second year of study.

"As the New Zealand games industry grows, Sidhe Interactive's partnership with Media Design School grows increasingly crucial in identifying, training and pushing top talents into New Zealand's games industry. With that goal in mind, this scholarship provides an opportunity for a promising New Zealand game developer to take game programming or game art to the next level,"said Jin Wan, Media Design School's Marketing Manager.

Media Design School's 16 month Graduate Diploma of Game Development is the only qualification of its kind in New Zealand that offers such specialized games focused training. For scholarship eligibility criteria and application details, contact Simon Earle at Media Design School on (09) 3030 402 or email simon@mediadesign.school.nz

Sidhe Interactive develops games for the PC, Sony PlayStation(tm), Sony PlayStation™ 2, Sony PSP™, and Microsoft Xbox™. You can find out more about Sidhe Interactive online at www.sidheinteractive.com.

29 September 2006 - Melbourne Cup Videogame Lines Up For The Starter's Gate

Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) today announced the release date for the hotly anticipated horse racing videogame, Melbourne Cup Challenge for the Sony PlayStation(R) 2, Microsoft Xbox™ and PC. Galloping into stores across Australia and New Zealand on 26 October 2006, Melbourne Cup Challenge brings the energy and excitement of the great race into homes ahead of the 2006 Melbourne Cup Carnival.

"The Emirates Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation", said David Robles, Business Development Manager for HES. "The excitement, passion, and glamour of the horse racing industry are captured in Melbourne Cup Challenge allowing gamers themselves to compete in their very own legendary horse racing events".

"From horse racing enthusiast to casual gamer, there is something for everyone in Melbourne Cup Challenge", said Robles. "The success of the title will build into an ongoing franchise from which we can continue to push the boundaries of the genre."

The features of Melbourne Cup Challenge include -

Official licenses including access to the Emirates Melbourne Cup Race, Flemington Race Course, Classic Caulfield, The Caulfield Cup, Royal Ascot Race Course, leading jockey Frankie Dettori, and more
Multiplayer online play for all platforms, allowing competitive and friendly play over the Internet with up to 8 people
Multiple game modes including Season Mode, Jockey Challenge, Betting Party, and Simulation Mode.
In depth Season Mode including auctions, horse breeding, training, personnel hiring and firing, and stable management
Highly detailed graphics including realistic horses and jockeys, weather effects, and accurately modelled Australian and international race courses.
Live race commentary by Matthew Hill from Sky Channel
Lifelike horse and jockey animation, motion captured by Weta Digital, the VFX wizards behind The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy

"We are very pleased with what we have been able to achieve with the title" said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, the development studio behind the title. "Melbourne Cup Challenge raises the bar in the horse racing gaming genre by providing ease of accessibility, online connectivity and superior graphical realism".

Melbourne Cup Challenge will release on PS2, Xbox and PC in Australasia on 26 October 2006 under 'Tru Blu Games', the publishing division of HES. The title will also be released in Europe at a later date under the name "Frankie Dettori Racing".

28 September 2006 - Landmark Partnership Announced

A landmark partnership announced between Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer Peter Jackson, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fran Walsh, and Microsoft Game Studios will create two new interactive entertainment series exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox LiveR. The first series will be a collaborative effort with Bungie Studios to co-create the next great chapter in the "HaloR" universe. The second series will be an entirely original property targeted at bringing new audiences into the captivating world of interactive entertainment. In addition, Microsoft Game Studios will partner with Jackson and Walsh to establish Wingnut Interactive, a studio dedicated to the creation of world-class interactive entertainment.

28 September 2006 - bro'Town Game Launches Today!

Ignite Studios Ltd is thrilled to announce the release of the first bro’Town mobile phone game.

The team at Ignite Studios worked closely with Firehorse Films, Vodafone, Gamer Experience and Beanbag to create ‘Handle the Jandal’, the first locally made mobile game on the Vodafone network.

In this game Mrs Tapili has baked three pavlovas for the Minister… but Vale, Valea, Mack, Sione and Jeff da Maori want to eat them first! You play as Mrs Tapili. Can you Handle the Jandal and stop the boys from reaching the pavlovas?

To download this game text ‘bro’ to Live (5483) and Vodafone will send you a link to a free mobile WAP page.

From there you’ll be able to download ‘Handle the Jandle’ and other cool bro’Town things for your mobile, including choice ringtones, pictures and the latest bro’Town clips!

Plus, download or watch any bro'Town stuff on your Vodafone live! mobile before 18th November and you'll go in the draw to win a walk on part in the next series!

12 July 2006 - Haka in Rugby League 2 for Xbox™ Videogame Breaks New Ground

Wellington, New Zealand - 12 July 2006 – Game developer Sidhe Interactive and Ngati Kimihia Hapu (sub-tribe) of Ngati Toa Rangatira announced today that Sidhe’s upcoming videogame title “Rugby League 2” for Xbox(TM) would feature the traditional Maori Haka known as Ka Mate.

The Haka is a warrior challenge, traditionally performed at the meeting of Maori tribes as a means to both show respect and intimidate opponents. Ka Mate is a form of Haka, originally choreographed around 1820 by famous Maori chief Te Rauparaha of the Ngati Toa Rangatira tribe. Still used ceremonially today, Ka Mate has also been adopted by New Zealand sports teams and is performed before international sporting events.

“As New Zealanders, we were passionate about including Ka Mate in the title to enrich the gaming experience” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, “However, we were also conscious that we needed to ensure the tradition was presented with integrity and in a respectful way.”

Sidhe Interactive consulted with the Ngati Toa Rangatira at length to ensure both the accuracy of Ka Mate within the game and obtain tribal approval. Ignite Studios acted as advisor to the collaboration and produced the haka component - traditionally trained specialists were sourced to record the vocals and perform motion captured actions. In the game, Ka Mate is performed by computer animated representations of the New Zealand national rugby league team, the Kiwis, before international matches. Ngati Toa Rangatira elders reviewed and approved the final result.

“This is a unique opportunity for Ngati Toa Rangatira to exercise ‘mana’ (authority) over their treasured haka Ka Mate in the modern multi-media digital world” said Ngati Toa Rangatira spokesperson Oriwa Solomon. “It is hoped that this will be a template for future collaborative arrangements between Ngati Kimihia and other parties wishing to use or currently using Ka Mate. Sidhe should be applauded for acknowledging Ngati Kimihia and Ngati Toa as the rightful owners of Ka Mate and that the ownership of cultural Intellectual Property resides with their indigenous communities of origin.”

Rugby League 2 for Xbox™ will be released in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe on 13 July 2006 under "Tru Blu Games", the publishing division of HES. The game is currently available for the PlayStation(R)2 and PC platforms which do not include Ka Mate, but were the number one selling videogames in Australasia at release in December 2005.

More information, media and downloads for Rugby League 2 can be found at www.rugbyleague2.com. For more information about the haka Ka Mate please contact www.ngatikimihia.com.

**********

Note to media: Permission is given for all media available at www.rugbyleague2.com to be used in your publication or website. Higher resolution assets available on request.

07 December 2005 - Rugby League 2 Fever Pitch

Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd(HES) has announced "incredibly strong" presales of "Rugby League 2" for PlayStation(R)2 and PC, with some retailers organising midnight releases to cope with the high demand. The game follows on from the highly successful 2003 release "Rugby League", which was the number 1 selling title in Australasia over Christmas 2003. Total presales for Rugby League 2 are over double that of the previous title, which had itself broken a global single store presales record for Electronics Boutique.

"The positive response to the sequel from both retailers and consumers alike has been overwhelming" said Sebastian Giompaolo, Managing Director for HES. "We are very pleased with both the final product resulting from our continuing investment in the franchise, and the support we have had from our development, distribution, and licensing partners".

Features of "Rugby League 2" include

Multiplayer online play for both platforms, allowing competitive and friendly play over the Internet, player rankings, and statistics.
All major teams and competitions including the NRL, SuperLeague (including, in addition, the 2006 teams Les Catalans and Castleford), State of Origin, City versus Country, and 17 different International Teams.
40 stadia from around the world including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and France
Brand new gameplay features including video ref, enhanced AI, ball stripping, shoulder barges, diving on and kicking the loose ball, contesting the high ball, pass to playmaker and more.
New 10 year Franchise Mode, including player contract management, injuries, judiciary, and mid season representative games.
Highly realistic, individually modelled likenesses for over 500 players.
Lifelike animation, motion captured by Weta Digital, the VFX wizards behind The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, the development studio behind the title said, "Rugby League 2 delivers an even richer and more engrossing sports gaming experience than the first title in the series. Our commitment to development and listening to the fans has allowed us to bring rugby gaming to a whole new level".

Rugby League 2 will be released in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe on PlayStation(R)2 and PC on December 8th under "Tru Blu Games", the publishing division of HES. NRL players will be making appearances for the launch at stores within the greater Sydney region at EB Games Miranda, Gamesmen Penshurst, EB Games Macarthur and Gamesmen Penrith (see www.hes.net for details).

More information, media and downloads for Rugby League 2 can be found at www.rugbyleague2.com.

10 November 2005 - GripShift™ for PSP Jumps Over to Europe and Australasia

Game development studio Sidhe Interactive announced today that their original title, GripShift™ for PlayStation™ Portable, would be released in Europe on 11 November, Australia on 17 November and New Zealand on 18 November 2005. In preparation for the imminent launch, new screenshots and a brand new trailer have been made available for download from www.gripshiftgame.com.

GripShift™ mixes platform, driving and puzzle elements to create a unique gameplay experience for PSP™.

"The PlayStation Portable is a fantastic platform, offering fun new gaming possibilities. GripShift was designed from the ground up specifically to take advantage of this great new handheld" said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "With a very competitive price point and a huge amount of content on offer, GripShift is the perfect purchase for new PSP owners".

The features of GripShift™ include

Stunt Driving, Platform-Action and Puzzle Solving genres combined offer the ultimate on-the-go driving experience.
More than 100 diverse levels in 4 themed worlds with brilliant 3D graphics, vibrant colour, dynamic visual effects, and full screen anti-aliasing.
Multiple routes, short-cuts, loops, jumps, ramps, power-ups and dangers to avoid will challenge even the most skilled drivers.
Exciting Race Mode provides action for players to race against the CPU or human drivers.
8 Bonus games including Penguin Bowling, Bomb Pool, Soccer Crazy, Snaker, Ice Hockey and more offer varied challenges to suit your mood.
Wireless multiplayer action for up to 4 players.
Create custom levels with the in-game Track Editor and share them wirelessly with friends or trade over the Internet via PC for ongoing fun.
Choose one of 6 playable characters and customise your vehicles for a unique look.
Short load times keep you in the action, not waiting around.

"We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans on our message boards and across the Internet" said GripShift™ producer and designer, Andy Satterthwaite. "We look forward to seeing the unique level solutions and custom track creations of a whole new set of gamers in the PAL territories".

GripShift™ also features music from talented New Zealand artists including chart topping hiphop duo Misfits of Science, drum and bass outfit Shapeshifter, and Auckland based DJs Filterbrats.

10 November 2005 - Media Design School - Studying options for 2006

If you are interested in a career in 3D Animation or Game Development you may like to attend Media Design School's open evening. You can learn more about the courses, see some work showcased and talk to succesful graduates already in the industry.

The event is scheduled for Wednesday 7 December 2005, at 6pm. Courses covered include:

3D Computer Animation
Visual Effects and Motion Graphics
3D Imagery and Visualisation
Game Development
Interactive Gaming

Places are limited. Please confirm your place by emailing rsvp@mediadesign.school.nz or call (09) 3030 402

23 October 2005 - NZ Game Developers pick up TUANZ (e)-vision awards

The 2005 TUANZ (e)-vision awards winners were announced Thursday night. Straylight Interactive's StarTag picked up the Entertainment Award. Students from Media Design School won the Craft Award with their game Goliath.

05 September 2005 - Sidhe Continues Scholarship Support For Game Development Diploma

Sidhe Interactive announced today that they will offer a tuition scholarship to the value of NZ$4,000 for students wishing to study on Media Design School's Graduate Diploma of Game Development.

Sidhe will award the scholarship to one first year student enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Game Development commencing 26 September 2005. All NZ citizen or permanent resident students currently enrolled in this intake will be eligible, along with any subsequent applicants who submit their application to Media Design School before 16 September 2005.

"The continued support from Sidhe Interactive is fantastic and enables us to continue to assist in the development of New Zealand's up and coming games industry. The scholarship will give one worthy recipient the chance to pursue a career as a game artist or game programmer," said Caroline Booth, Media Design School's Marketing Communications Manager.

Media Design School's 16 month Graduate Diploma of Game Development is the only qualification of its kind in New Zealand that offers such specialized games focused training.

For scholarship eligibility criteria and application details, contact Simon Earle at Media Design School on (09) 3030 402 or email simon@mediadesign.school.nz

Sidhe Interactive is currently developing multiple titles for Sony PlayStation™ 2, Sony PlayStation Portable™, Microsoft Xbox™, and PC.

23 August 2005 - Programmer Vacancies

Ignite Studios is looking for programmers to work on animation research projects and mobile games. Please contact: ignitest@ignitestudios.org

14 July 2005 - StarTag Beta Testers

Straylight Studios is seeking beta testers for its upcoming casual pc title release StarTag, an action puzzle game which will challenge player’s skill with a variety of single and multiplayer action.

With 7 different gameplay modes presented in a timeless style, StarTag requires skill and metal cunning to outwit your opponents in this game of galactic tag.

If you are interested in play testing StarTag please go to;

www.startagthegame.com

12 July 2005 - Simon Castles Passing Away

It is with deep sadness that we report that NZ based music and sound engineer Simon Castles has passed away over the weekend after losing a year long battle with cancer.

In addition to being a great friend and talented musician, Simon has contributed to numerous game projects throughout the years, and has been instrumental in helping build the NZ industry to where it is today.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time. He will be sorely missed.

12 July 2005 - bro’Town does Old-Skool Spacies

New Zealand’s first film and game partnership set to take new angle on entertainment production.

Firehorse Films and Ignite Studios have begun early concept and beta prototype work on old-skool arcade game(s) for the hit series bro’Town. The producers emphasize the games are going to be centred on capturing the magic from the television series. No format for the game has yet been decided, the producers comment, “we want to leave the creative options open at this stage, it is important for us to understand what the fans want first.”

“We are kicking off with extensive research into the industry and early indications are that the direction we take may be more old-skool retro – both because of budgets and because we think they are cool!”

A game design competition will soon be run via bro’Town’s website www.brotown.co.nz and fans and games enthusiasts are encouraged to enter the competition.

For further information contact ignitest@ignitestudios.org or visit www.ignitestudios.org.

11 July 2005 - Simon Castles Passing Away

It is with deep sadness that we report that NZ based music and sound engineer Simon Castles has passed away over the weekend after losing a year long battle with cancer.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time. He will be sorely missed.

1 July 2005 - Melbourne Cup Videogame Lines Up For PS2, Xbox And PC

Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) today announced the development of a new horse racing videogame, Melbourne Cup Challenge for PS2, Xbox and PC.

”The Emirates Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the nation”, said David Robles, Business Development Manager for HES. “We will deliver the same level of excitement, passion, and glamour of the horse racing industry through Melbourne Cup Challenge”.

Victoria Racing Club Chief Executive, Dale Monteith, whose organisation stages the Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington said “The Club is delighted to be associated with Home Entertainment Suppliers. We hope the game will help spread the word about Australia’s most famous race to a new audiences in Australia and around the world.

“The game will no doubt excite players and encourage them to come to Flemington. I’m sure it will be well received by game players looking for a challenge and the chance to own their very own Melbourne Cup winner, even if it is only in a virtual environment”, Monteith said.

The features of Melbourne Cup Challenge include -

Official licenses including access to the Emirates Melbourne Cup Race, Flemington Race Course, Classic Caulfield, The Caulfield Cup, Royal Ascot Race Course, leading jockey Frankie Dettori, and more.
Multiplayer online play for all platforms, allowing competitive and friendly play over the Internet.
Multiple game modes including Career Mode, Jockey Challenge and Betting Party.
In depth Career Mode including auctions, horse breeding, training, and stable management.
Highly detailed graphics including realistic horses and jockeys, weather effects, and accurately modelled Australian and international race courses.
Lifelike horse and jockey animation, motion captured by Weta Digital, the VFX wizards behind The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

“Our studio is delighted to be working on another strong sports franchise with HES” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, the development studio behind the title. “Melbourne Cup Challenge is an opportunity for us to raise the bar in the horse racing gaming genre by providing ease of accessibility and superior graphical realism”.

Melbourne Cup Challenge is expected for release on PS2, Xbox and PC in Australasia in November 2005 under ‘Tru Blu Games’, the publishing division of HES. The title will also be released in Europe under the name “Frankie Dettori Racing”.

12 May 2005 - Sidhe Interactive Announces Gripshift™ For Sony PSP™ Portable Entertainment System

Sidhe Interactive today announced the development of "GripShift", an innovative puzzle-platform-driving-action title for the Sony PSP™ portable entertainment system. Developed from the ground-up specifically for the PSP™ portable system, GripShift is to be co-published by Sony Online Entertainment and Red Mile EntertainmentT and is scheduled to be available Fall 2005.

GripShift™ is the first video game for the PSP™ portable entertainment system to combine high-flying stunt driving and unique puzzle-solving action in an all-out, pedal-to-the-metal driving experience. Players will race as one of six unique characters in souped-up vehicles as they stunt their way through insane twisting levels while collecting power-ups, avoiding traps, beating the clock and challenging friends.

"We are pleased to bring such an original and exciting title to fans of the PSP portable system," said Chris Sturr, Senior Brand Manager, Sony Online Entertainment. "GripShift is an original breakthrough combination of stunt driving, platform and puzzle action that is sure to thrill."

The features of GripShift™ include -

Original Combination of Genres: Stunt Driving, Platform Action and Puzzle-Solving genres combined offer the ultimate on-the-go driving experience.
Vibrant 3D Environments: Stunt through more than 100 diverse levels in 4 themed worlds (Desert, Jungle, Ice and Horror) that come alive with brilliant 3D graphics, stunning lighting and dynamic visual effects.
Puzzle-like challenges: Multiple routes, short-cuts, loops, jumps, ramps, power-ups and dangers to avoid will challenge the most skilled drivers.
Exciting Race Mode: Additional racing circuits provide action for players to race against the CPU or human drivers.
8 Bonus Games: Penguin Bowling, Bomb Pool, Soccer Crazy, Snaker, Ice Hockey and more offer new challenges for you to conquer solo or with up to 3 of your friends.
Wireless Multiplayer Gameplay: Single-player or multiplayer action for up to 4 players through the PSP system's wireless feature.
Customizable Levels: Create custom levels with the in-game Track Editor and share them wirelessly with friends.
Six Playable Characters: Play as one of 6 playable characters and customize your vehicles for a unique look.
Intuitive control system: Optimized gameplay and aerial physics allow for awesome jumps with massive hang-time.

Product demonstrations of GripShift will be available in Sony Online Entertainment's booth (946) in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center during the Electronic Entertainment Expo from May 18-20.

2 March 2005 - Blue Boar Mobile Secures International Distribution Deal

Wellington mobile games developer, Blue Boar Mobile, has inked a deal with Singapore-based games publisher, Acme Mobile.

The deal will see Blue Boar Mobile’s ‘04 release, Hoki Moki, published across 11 countries, with over 34 different channel partners.

The deal includes distribution across the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Portugal and Germany.

Acme Mobile represents a small number of high quality developers and specialises in the distribution of mobile entertainment products including games, imagery and specialised audio products.

Acme Mobile’s Chief Executive, Paul Meyers, says his company was attracted to Blue Boar Mobile’s creative product first and foremost.

“Content-wise, we haven’t seen anything like Hoki Moki in South East Asia or Europe and our feeling is the game will be a major success in these markets. New Zealand is seen creatively as a hot country, and that alone will create some hype among the 300 million mobile gamers in our markets.

“Given the ongoing popularity of Hoki Moki domestically, we’re delighted to welcome Blue Boar Mobile into the Acme portfolio,” he says.

Blue Boar Mobile Managing Director, Paul Sinclair, says the Acme deal is the first of three distribution agreements currently under negotiation to be inked.

“We expect to complete two more distribution deals in the next month. Both are with large publishers who’ve been intrigued by our content and impressed by Hoki’s game-play. These deals are also with publishers holding and promoting major licensed products so we should be seeing Hoki Moki up there with some of the best mobile titles on the planet,” he says.

Paul Sinclair says that these two remaining distribution agreements do not include discussions with China-based publishers.

“Discussions have gone well in the Chinese space to date. We now need to make a call on who provides the best distribution fit for Blue Boar Mobile given the agreement already signed and those pending,” he says.

Blue Boar Mobile released Hoki Moki with Telecom New Zealand in November ’04. The game involves a small fish with a rather dangerous amount of attitude – obsessed with eating and breeding his way to the top of the food chain. The title remains strongly supported among Telecom mobile gamers and can be downloaded from Xtra for $4.95.

Blue Boar Mobile’s Creative and Technical Director, Richard Mackessy, says the studio is on track to complete its first title for ‘05 later this month.

15 February 2005 - Waikato Uni Launches Gameslab Website

Waikato University have launched a new site for the GamesLab - www.gameslab.co.nz - for the Department of Screen and Media's game coverage and research. The aim is to represent critical and creative works relating to digital games in both NZ and overseas.

14 February 2005 - New Job Vacancies at Sidhe Interactive

Wellington game developer Sidhe Interactive is currently looking to fill three full time, on-site roles to work on exciting projects for PS2, Xbox, PC and PSP. Specifically, these roles are a programmer, a 3D modeller/texturer, and an animator. Roles will be filled as suitable candidates are found.

Interested candidates can get more information by visiting the Sidhe website here.

8 February 2005 - Game Development Career Event

Media Design School will be holding a free event in Auckland on 9 February 2005 to provide videogame career advice from industry veterans.

Three international game industry experts; Will Vale (UK), Todd Gantzler (US) and Robert Daly (US) will be providing the low-down on the games industry and hot tips on how you can get your career started. To follow will be a presentation from the International Game Developers Association’s (IGDA) Auckland Chapter and a sneak preview of the work from Media Design School’s game development students.

At the end of the evening, test your gaming knowledge with a quiz kindly sponsored by NZGamer.com and be in to win a prize pack of goodies valued at $200.

WHEN: Wednesday 9 February, 6pm
WHERE: Media Design School, Level 10, 242 Queen Street, Auckland City
ADMISSION: FREE

RSVP by Tuesday 8 February to games@mediadesign.school.nz.

7 February 2005 - Castles Music Fires Up the Machine Guns

Simon Castles of Castles Music Productions has almost completed audio production and implementation on the strategy wargame World At War.

Due for release in late February 2005 on PC the game will feature over 500 original sound effects created exclusively for the project.

"In order to create a high level of realism we recorded authentic weapons like the M2 Machine Gun and the classic Garand semi-automatic rifle at a local firing range. The results really help set the game apart from other's in the genre" said Castles.

Also featured are 6 fully orchestrated original music tracks from talented composer Scott Cairns, a recent addition to the Castles Music team.

Developed by 2by3 Games and published by New York publisher Matrix Games. World at War is due for release at the end of February 2005. For more information visit the game's website at www.worldatwaronline.com.

14 January 2005 - Game Development Graduate Diploma Applications Open

Applications are currently being accepted for the 2005 intake of Media Design School's Graduate Diploma of Game Development, commencing 21 February 2005.

This 64-week graduate qualification is New Zealand's only specialised game development course and allows students to select from one of two streams - game programming or game art. For more information visit www.mediadesign.school.nz

14 January 2005 - Sidhe Interactive Game Development Graduate Diploma Scholarship Recipient Announced

Sidhe Interactive today announced University of Canterbury Computer Science graduate Steffan Hooper as the recipient of their inaugural scholarship award for the Graduate Diploma of Game Development at Media Design School. Steffan will receive NZ$4,000 from Sidhe towards his first year of study at the course, and this amount will be matched by MDS themselves in the second year.

6 December 2004 - Binary Star Pick Up Dual AGDC Awards

Rising Auckland developer Binary Star was honoured by the Australian game development community over the weekend, receiving both the Australian Game Developers Conference awards for Best Unsigned Game (Professional) for their title, Homeland, and Best New Start-Up. The awards cap a great year for Binary Star, who debuted their title at E3 2004.

Homeland is an original title from Binary Star in development for PC and Xbox.

24 November 2004 - Imagine Cup 2005

Imagine Cup is a world wide competition designed to offer students an opportunity to transform their creative ideas into real life projects. For the first time ever, the competition is opened to both tertiary and secondary students in New Zealand. There are altogether 9 categories including Software Design, Web Development, Visual Gaming and Short Film. Contestants will have a chance to win a share of $215,000 USD in the total prize pool, plus finalists will be sent to Yokohama, Japan to compete in the world finals. Registrations have now opened. Registrations for NZ and Australia have soared with The University of Auckland claiming first place for the highest number of registrations in the world. Get recognised for your ideas. Get into Imagine Cup 2005. For more information on IC 2005 and registration, please click here or email Paul Lo of Microsoft New Zealand.

19 November 2004 - Binary Star Homeland Demo Launch

Binary Star's Homeland Demo Launch party went off with a bang on Tuesday, showing an impressive first glimpse of gameplay footage. The launch got coverage from both TV2 and TV3 with various magazine and newspaper articles in the pipeline (check out today’s Herald). A definite high point for Binary Star and another big push for the NZ games development industry.

Homeland is an original title from Binary Star in development for PC and Xbox.

16 November 2004 - Hoki Moki For Mobile Launched

Blue Boar Mobile's first game title, Hoki Moki, can now be purchased from Xtra via your mobile for a paltry NZ$4.95. All you need is a Java-capable phone, a Telecom connection, and the desire to go where no fish has gone before. Hoki Moki was a finalist in this year's TUANZ Innovation Awards and the content, well, the content speaks for itself.

Hoki Moki, the Cassanova of Shag Reef, is a wide-eyed fish, horny and hungry. Help the anti-Nemo fulfil his lifelong ambition to score, while avoiding predatory Snappers prowling the watery depths. Munching multi-coloured Kina provides Hoki Moki with staying power, special skills and size where it counts. But beware, not all is what it seems in the watery depths. So, do the Hoki Moki today and lock up your goldfish's daughters before they're knocked-up by this lecherous leviathan.

9 November 2004 - Game Creation and Animation Short Courses

Media Design School is offering intensive, 4-day short courses over the summer holidays. The courses include; Introduction to Computer Game Creation, Introduction to Maya and Classical Animation.

For more information or registration details, contact Media Design School on (09) 3030 402 or email emiko@mediadesign.school.nz

24 October 2004 - Def-Logic's Latest Game In Playaholics Top 10

Def-Logic's latest web-based game, Popaloon, was licensed to Playaholics.com last week. The game entered the top 100 in the number 2 spot, and moved to number 1 for 3 days. It is now maintaining its position at number 3.

Popaloon is a point and click game based on the popular color matching gameplay formula. "I've wanted to do a color matching game for sometime" said Brent Silby of Def-Logic. "The most important thing was to ensure that I didn't simply create another Collapse remake." One of the features that distinguishes Popaloon from similar games is the introduction of a character, who is responsible for releasing balloons. "Normally the colors simply appear, but I thought it would be more interesting to include a reason for the action. It makes the whole thing more interesting"

A special "girls night out" version of Popaloon has now been licensed to chickstop.com.

Playaholics and Chickstop are game tournament sites run by U.K advergaming specialist 3rdsense. Def-Logic is currently developing several titles for these sites.

29 September 2004 - Sidhe Offers Scholarships for MDS Game Diploma

Sidhe Interactive announced today that they will offer scholarships to the value of NZ$4000, for students who wish to study on Media Design School's Graduate Diploma of Game Development.

"The New Zealand game development industry has experienced solid growth in recent years”, commented Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "We are delighted to help ensure this growth is sustainable by offering opportunities to emerging, talented individuals".

Sidhe will grant one scholarship per intake for first year students, based upon candidates' skills and abilities, motivations and evidence of financial hardship. Media Design School will match the value of the scholarship for the student's second year of study. Scholarship eligibility criteria and application details will be available on the Media Design School website in the next few weeks.

"We are thrilled at the generous opportunity Sidhe Interactive has offered. It will provide a deserving recipient the chance to pursue their career in game development. This collaboration between Sidhe Interactive and Media Design School will ensure a strong and vibrant games industry will continue to evolve in New Zealand" said Frances Valintine, General Manager of Media Design School.

Sidhe Interactive is currently developing multiple titles for Sony PlayStation™ 2, Sony PlayStation Portable™, Microsoft Xbox™, and PC.

15 September 2004 - Binary Star Texture Artist Vacancy

Binary Star is looking for an experienced 3DS Max (procedural) texture artist.

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

7 September 2004 - Binary Star Art Director Vacancy

Binary Star is currently looking to fill an Art Director vacancy. The responsibilities of this role include

Decides arts styles and concepts in conjunction with Game Designer
Gives strong, clear direction to the Artists for general style/modeling/textures etc
Provide clear visual reference to Artists and Lead Artist
Liaises with the Level Designer to create a functional exciting environment that encourages and enhances set game play
In charge of overall visuals of the game through to 3D Artist
Creating the vision, providing clear directions of the art style for the game, and maintaining and ensuring a high level of quality and consistency

Requirements for the role include

BA/BFA from an accredited institution prefereable
Some experience with 3D/texturing processes desired, and ability to sketch and draw
Minimum 3–4 years experience in Film/Television/Theatre in Art Direction
Proven abilities in directing staff from game style to concept through to completion
Ability to motivate and excite a team
Strong vision and style
Clear, effective communication skills
Understanding of computer game play, interest and commitment to learning more about real-time game play and game creation
Flexible mentality with a commitment to personal development
Passion for creating and playing video games
Salary to be negotiated

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

25 August 2004 - Binary Star Level Designer Vacancy

Binary Star is looking for somebody with a design/scripting background. Experience with Lua, Javascript or PHP would be an advantage. All applicants should be familiar with 3D environments, modern games as well as having a creative eye and a good feel for movie/game cinematics.

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

23 July 2004 - CastlesMusic.com Gets Into a Punch-Up!

Get yourself roughed up with the new bare-knuckle fight sound effects set just added to CastlesMusic.com's online, royalty free sound effects store.

Entitled “Punch-Up!” the new sound set features 100 individual punches, blocks and kicks, a set of ear-ringing slaps and a selection of martial arts style whooshes.

“Punch-Up!” can be previewed and purchased for US$29.95 at Castles Music’s online store http://www.castlesmusic.com/cmpShop.php.

“This is one of the most affordable and safest ways for game, film, tv, and multimedia developers to get the sounds of realistic close physical combat into their project,” says Castles Music’s director, Simon Castles.

Users can browse for other single sound effects, or bundled sound effect sets at Castles Music’s online store using category or keywords search functions. Previews are available for all sounds; and a great range of other sound effects, and bundled sound sets, are available for purchase.

30 June 2004 - New Job Vacancies at Sidhe Interactive

Interested candidates can get more information by visiting the Sidhe website here.

17 June 2004 - Games and Girls Symposium Registrations Open

The Games and Girls Symposium: Getting Girls On The Games Agenda is a new Auckland based event looking to explore gender issues around videogaming. The all day symposium will be held on 7 July 2004 in the Auckland Town Hall.

The event will feature a range of speakers including industry professionals and academic researchers, as well as having an exhibition component.

The symposium is free to attend but is limited to 200 places with preregistration required. Download the schedule and registration form by clicking here.

4 June 2004 - Binary Star Level Scripter Vacancy

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

24 May 2004 - Binary Star Programmer Vacancy

With yet another opportunity opening up, Binary Star is looking for a new programmer to join the team. The position would involve implementing and maintaining C++ systems in a realtime Win32/DirectX and MFC environment.

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

22 May 2004 - Binary Star 3D Artist Vacancy

Hot on the heels of their last vacancy, Auckland game developer Binary Star is also looking for a talented 3D Studio MAX artist to work on their exciting Xbox and PC adventure title, Homeland.

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

18 May 2004 - Binary Star Production Manager Vacancy

Auckland game developer Binary Star is looking for an experienced production manager to join their team. The position would involve working closely with the various departments within development, scheduling and monitoring the progress of work.

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

3 May 2004 - NZGDC Registrations Open

Registrations have now opened for the first ever New Zealand Game Developers Conference, dubbed Fuse 2004.

Held in Dunedin, the event promises to be an important milestone in the ongoing development of the NZ games industry with a range of speakers from local industry, government, and offshore and a host of planned talks and workshops.

30 April 2004 - Sidhe Interactive Takes Home Top Honour In Gold Awards

Game development studio Sidhe Interactive celebrated winning not only the Creative Gold category in last nights’ annual Wellington Region Gold Awards ceremony, but also a win in the overall category, the Supreme Gold award. The awards, now in their 6th year, celebrate commercial enterprise and excellence in the region.

Previous winners of both the Creative and Supreme Gold awards have included Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, special effects wizards behind the highly acclaimed Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

“2003 was a great year for our studio in so many respects”, commented Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. “We are honoured to receive the top award when so many businesses here are experiencing great success”.

Amongst their achievements of 2003 was the release of Rugby League for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC which dominated Christmas videogame sales in the Australasian market.

Commenting on the future, Wynands said Sidhe are working on multiple as yet unannounced projects including game development for Sony’s upcoming new platform, the PlayStation Portable.

13 April 2004 - Binary Star at E3

Game developer Binary Star have confirmed their attendence at Los Angeles videogame expo E3 to showcase their latest technology and their exciting Xbox and PC adventure title, Homeland.

Catch up with Binary Star at the show at booth #7520 in Kentia Hall.

8 April 2004 - NZ Game Dev Course Brings In Big Guns From Overseas

New Zealand's only specialised gaming qualification has attracted some high calibre international talent to teach in NZ.

Canadian Tom Zuber is Media Design School's game development Course Leader and has 17 years experience in animation and gaming as art director, animator and instructor.

Previously Tom has taught gaming and animation at Canada's Gamer College, Capilano College and as Head 3D Instructor at Vancouver Film School. Tom¹s gaming credits include Triple Play '98 and '99, BorderCross 2000 and FIFA 2000 as well as work on Playstation 2, DVD and CDRom games.

Programming tutor, Mark Baldwin joins MDS from Colorado, bringing 23 years of industry experience and achievement.

After gaining a Bachelor in Engineering Sciences and a Master of Science, Mark¹s experience includes time as a Trajectory Applications Analyst in the US Air Force, and leading an ascent flight design team involved in the space shuttle program.

Mark was named by Computer Gaming World as one of the top 20 game developers of all time. His credit list includes Starbase 13, Empire, Star Fleet I, Star Fleet II, D.R.A.G.O.N. FORCE, and Star Legions, The Perfect General, Empire Deluxe and most recently Empire II, The Art of War.

Last week the Media Design School faculty were joined by guest tutor Dani Sánchez-Crespo, one of Europe¹s leading voices in game research and development.

Dani is CEO of Novarama in Barcelona, a game development studio with games for PS2, Gamecube, PC and Game Boy Advance. Dani founded Europe¹s first Master¹s Degree in Video Game Creation, held at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where he still teaches and serves as the degree¹s Director.

31 March 2004 - Def-Logic Licenses Games To 3rd Sense

Webgame developer Def-Logic has licensed a number of games to UK based advergaming specialist 3rd Sense. The games have been integrated into several online tournament sites which are run by 3rd Sense as part of their Internet advertising business.

3rd Sense utilize reverse charge SMS technology to allow players to enter tournaments without the need of credit cards. Competitors' high scores are tracked and monthly prizes are provided for winning players.

"Online tournaments are rapidly growing in popularity" said Brent Silby of Def-Logic. "This is because people have something tangible to gain and as such, the games give the player the kind of adrenaline rush that keeps them coming back for more"

Def-Logic has a back catalog of 16 arcade-style webgames available for licensing, and is currently developing a new action/shooter game.

30 March 2004 - Screaming Duck Releases Free Demo For Fitznik 2

Shareware developer Screaming Duck has released a free downloadable demo for Fitznik 2. The demo allows gamers to taste the compelling puzzle game without having to commit to purchase.

Download the free demo or purchase the full game from here.

20 February 2004 - Sidhe Receives Funding For PlayStation™ Portable Game Research

Game development studio Sidhe Interactive announced today it has secured a government research grant from Technology New Zealand to assist in developing for upcoming handheld gaming device, the Sony PlayStation™ Portable (PSP).

Tyrone McAuley, Technical Director at Sidhe, commented, “The Technology NZ funding complements our own significant investment, allowing us to accelerate our research programme for this exciting new platform”.

Industry analysts are predicting a strong debut for the PlayStation™ Portable gaming platform, which Sony themselves are promoting as “the Walkman of the 21st Century”.

“Tech NZ been proud to support Sidhe Interactive as a strong technology innovator”, said Richard Hall, Investment Manager at Technology NZ. “We see great potential in the videogame sector as part of New Zealand’s strengthening creative digital industry.”

The Sony PlayStation™ Portable is expected for worldwide release by Sony Computer Entertainment in late 2004.

29 January 2004 - Korean Game ‘Nitro Family’ to Feature Music by Kiwi Band Bolbox Rex

Castles Music Productions today announced that Korean developer Delphieye has licensed the music of Auckland band Bolbox Rex for use in their computer game, Nitro Family.

Delphieye has licensed the use of two songs, “Get Set” and “Severed Tongue,” for inclusion in Nitro Family which will release on PC and Xbox in Q2, 2004.

Simon Castles, Director of Castles Music Productions was excited about this milestone in the NZ music industry, “It is wonderful to see such a talented band being recognised internationally. I’m proud to have had a part in negotiating the licensing for the Bolbox Rex, and I hope this will encourage other New Zealand artists to seek an international audience for their music. “

Nitro Family is Delphieye’s first game, and the first so-called First Person Shooter to come from Korea. Nitro Family delivers a fun game experience through it’s humorous B-movie style story line and frantic comic book like action. The Nitro Family website can be viewed here.

28 January 2004 - Binary Star 3D Artist Vacancy

Auckland game developer Binary Star is looking for talented 3D Studio MAX artists to work on their exciting Xbox and PC adventure title, Homeland.

Interested candidates can get more information about the role by registering their interest here.

23 January 2004 - Screaming Duck Software Raises The Bar On Logic Puzzles

Game developer Screaming Duck Software has released Fitznik 2, a Windows game that is the much anticipated sequel to Fitznik. Fitznik 2 continues the adventures of the odd looking creature Fitz through another 63 levels of puzzles tougher than the original.

Fitznik 2 introduces new game elements: Force-Fields that may be deactivated by placing objects on top of buttons, Seeker Droids that take a step towards you for every step you take, and pressure plates that rise out of the ground to form pillars. All of the new elements were designed to cause maximum interaction with the existing elements from the original Fitznik. Fitznik 2 explores the different consequences of those interactions throughout the 63 levels.

Every level in Fitznik 2 is an intellectual puzzle. If the player knows the solution, the level will be easy to solve. Arcade reflexes are not required. Players can adjust the speed of the game to their preference.

Fitznik 2 includes a solution mechanism. Players who get stuck in any level can type a password and see the entire puzzle solved by Fitz automatically. Fitznik 2 features 65,000 color graphics and requires a Windows computer running at 500Mhz or faster.

Fitznik 2 is priced at USD 19.95 and is available from Screaming Duck Software, 19 Rudleigh Ave, Christchurch, New Zealand.

16 January 2004 - New Zealand Based On-Line Sound Effects Shop Opening Feb '04

Gisborne based audio production company Castles Music Productions (CMP) announces the opening of a new online audio shop and library next month. CMP is noted for creating the music and sound effects for the hit computer game “Rugby League” (known as Stacey Jones Rugby League in New Zealand) released on 12 December 2003. CMP’s new on-line audio sound effects shop and library will offer a range of affordable sound byte sets with royalty free music to be added later in 2004.

“After years of recording custom sounds for various projects we have created a huge original sound effects library,” says Simon Castles, Director of Castles Music Productions.

The on-line shop and library is aimed at website producers and developers and will offer a variety of regularly requested sound effects for use in Flash, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, computer games, TV, film and radio programs.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone who needs professionally recorded royalty-free sound effects for their projects,” says Mr Castles.

Included in the on-line shop are audio effects unique to New Zealand such as native bird sounds formatted for use in menu screens or Flash presentations. There are also plans for a range of sound effects designed especially for game developers which will include: pick-ups, power-ups and weapon sounds.

9 January 2004 - Rugby League Dominates Australasian Christmas Videogame Sales

Amongst strong competition, New Zealand developed videogame "Rugby League" has been the top selling game title in Australasia for the past 4 weeks since its release on December 12, 2003.

“We are very pleased with the success of the game”, said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, the game development studio behind the title. “Very strong competing products were introduced onto the market during the Christmas season, but we took the number 1 slot and keep it through one of the busiest videogame sales periods of the year”.

Before launch “Rugby League” broke the EB Games worldwide single store preorder record when over 1,150 units of the game were preordered at EB Games Eastgarden’s store in Sydney, Australia. The record was formerly held by a US based EB Games store for preorders of “GTA3: Vice City”.

"The sales, public response and feedback have been truly remarkable these past 4 weeks", said David Robles, Business Development Manager of Tru Blu Games, publisher for the game. “It’s a great result for the local industry”.

Rugby League (known as “Stacey Jones Rugby League” in NZ and “SuperLeague Rugby League” in Europe) is available for the Sony PlayStation™ 2, Microsoft Xbox™ and PC platforms.

15 December 2003 - NZGDC Announced With Call For Papers

The first ever New Zealand Game Developers Conference,, dubbed Fuse 2004, has been announced with a call for papers issued.

The conference is aimed at bringing together industry, academia and government in a conference environment. The conference committee includes both local and international game designers and has the support of the IGDA(International Game Developers Association) and the NZGDA(New Zealand Game Developers Association).

The conference will include: a round table discussion on the direction of the industry in New Zealand; this will optimize technology transfer and skill development; Tutorials on AI for computer games, building games for mobile devices, internationalizing content, software engineering, and game design; public panel discussions of the role of computer games in New Zealand society.

Find out more about the conference on the official website at www.nzgdc.org.nz.

9 December 2003 - Rugby League Sets Global Preorder Record

Anticipation for the soon to be released videogame "Rugby League" from Sidhe Interactive and Tru Blu Games has reached new heights with the announcement of record breaking preorder levels for the title.

EB Games Eastgarden’s store in Sydney, Australia, have broken the worldwide single store preorder record for that international retail chain with over 1,060 units of the Rugby League game being preordered at that location alone. The record was formerly held by a US based EB store for preorders of “GTA3: Vice City”.

With several days before the release of Rugby League remaining, the Sydney store is expected to set a formidable record for future games to topple.

"We are very excited about the response we have had from consumers and the high presales reported by retailers", said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "Combined with the positive reviews the game has received, we are looking forward to a great launch for the title".

Rugby League (known as "Stacey Jones Rugby League" in NZ and "SuperLeague Rugby League" in Europe) will be available in from December 12 2003 for the Sony PlayStation™ 2, Microsoft Xbox™ and PC platforms.

20 November 2003 - The Games Forum: Series II Kicks Off

(e)-Vision is hosting the followup to last years games industry event - The Games Forum: Series II. Picking up where the last forum left off, the new series seeks to identify opportunities for NZ game developers, examine the convergence between games and film, and hear from educators introducing game development into their curriculums. The series has been generously supported by NZ Trade & Enterprise.

Sessions will be run from 6pm until 9pm on November 20, November 27, and December 4. Cost per session is $40 or $100 for the series, with student discounts available.

Find out more details and register your interest here.

12 November 2003 - Castles Music Signs With Korean Developer

Castles Music Productions today signed a deal with Korean developer Delphieye to work on their upcoming FPS game “Nitro Family.” A specialist audio content creator for computer games, Castles Music will be providing the original sound effects and overseeing the dialogue production and music licensing for the game.

“We are really excited to be working on such a milestone in Korean game development” said Simon Castles, director of Castles Music Productions. “It is an excellent opportunity for us to create the guns, explosions, vehicles and all manner of creatures and villains needed to bring a first person style game to life.”

Nitro Family will see Castles Music working with their affiliate studios in Montreal, Canada for the Voice Production. The voice over team includes Stephane Brault (former Audio Director of Strategy First) as dialogue supervisor, and a selected group of voice professionals with credits including: Splinter Cell and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

Castles Music productions is New Zealand’s premiere game audio audio specialist with a growing list of game credits. Recently Castles Music has expanded it’s production capability by affiliating with selected audio professionals and other specialist audio teams in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA and the UK.

31 October 2003 - Rugby League Videogame Wins Dual Awards

Highly anticipated videogame "Rugby League" from Sidhe Interactive took home dual honours at this week’s 8th annual TUANZ Interactive Awards. The title not only won the top award in the Games Category, but was chosen amongst all 144 entries at the event for the prestigious Craft Award celebrating design expertise and excellence of execution.

The TUANZ Interactive Awards recognise and encourage excellence in New Zealand's interactive and media design industry, highlighting developers who are reaching international acclaim.

Other finalists in the Games Category included Instinct Entertainment with "Mako", and Click Suite with "Operation: Bring It On!".

27 October 2003 - Otago Uni Game Design Course Opens

The University of Otago has announced that enrolments are now open for their new videogame course, "COSC360 - Computer Game Design".

The course will be an intensive introduction to the many disciplines involved in creating good computer games, and will run from the 5th Jan 2004 to 20th Feb 2004. With a quarter of the content taught by the Design Department, the course will have seminars from the English, Theatre Studies, Film and Media Studies, Music, Marketing, and Management department. Seminars from local industry representatives will feature, with the University also negotiating with international speakers. The course will give a broad but shallow introduction with an emphasis on real world content. The practical component of the course will utilise Visual Studio, C++, OpenGL and DirectX, as well as various game engines.

Find more information on the course by clicking here.

27 October 2003 - NZGDA Discussion Forums Now Available

Discussion forums covering all aspects of game development in New Zealand are now available through the NZGDA.com website. Join the ongoing conversation by clicking here.

25 June 2003 - NXN, Right Hemisphere Announce Technology Sharing Agreement

NXN Software and Auckland based Right Hemisphere announced an alliance that will provide a 3D previewing option to NXN’s asset management product, NXN alienbrain Studio. Both companies will sell the bundled technology.

The current versions of NXN’s software display 2D thumbnails of 3ds max, Maya and XSI models that are generated within the separate applications. The integration with a special preview version of Right Hemisphere’s Deep Server technology will enable NXN products to generate and display a wider range of file types as 2D thumbnails, and will also generate 3D previews for those files. Supported file types include Maya, 3ds max, XSI, Lightwave, AutoCAD, IGES and others.

In addition, NXN will integrate its product range with Right Hemisphere’s Deep View technology, which will enable users on NXN’s Windows clients to preview and, in NXN alienbrain VFX, to mark up previewed 3D files, regardless of whether the users are running a 3D application on their machines.

NXN’s 3D file previewing will be offered as an option in NXN alienbrain Studio and VFX this Fall. The technology will be showcased by NXN and Right Hemisphere at Siggraph.

20 June 2003 - New Screenshots of Rugby League 2004 Released

Wellington based developer Sidhe Interactive has released 6 new screenshots of their latest sports title, Rugby League 2004 for PS2, Xbox and PC. The game is being published by Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES)and will be released in October 2003.

Browse to the Sidhe Interactive website to check them out.

11 June 2003 - First NZ Game Development Diploma NZQA Approved

The recently announced Graduate Diploma of Game Development at Auckland based training institution Media Design School has now been officially approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Applications for the 64 week course are now being accepted, with the first intake commencing on 4 August 2003. To request a school prospectus or to review the course curriculum go here.

8 May 2003 - First NZ Game Development Diploma Announced

Auckland based training institution Media Design School has announced their Graduate Diploma of Game Development in their 2003/2004 prospectus. The course is the first of its kind in the country, representing a major milestone for the game development industry in New Zealand.

Developed in consultation with industry, the 64 week course offers the opportunity to specialise in either Programming or Graphic Design, and is split into three stages (including a group based game development project). The course starts 4 August 2003 and finishes 10 December 2004.

For full course details click here.

25 February 2003 - Blitz Research Ltd. Announce Release of BlitzPlus Software

Blitz Research, Ltd., developer of the BlitzBasic and Blitz3D programming solutions proudly announce the release of BlitzPlus.

In the time honoured tradition of home computer programming, BlitzPlus provides a friendly integrated program editor with a smart fast BASIC compiler sporting 90 new GUI commands, increased compatbility with legacy Windows machines running NT4.0 and some smart new improvements 'under the hood' for increased creative control.

For the full press release and purchasing details click here.

18 February 2003 - Unlimited Potential Gaming Event in Wellington

Unlimited Potential, a young IT professionals network, is holding a Games Event on February 25th, 6.00pm at the Wellington Convention Centre which will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about the booming industry that is games development.

A panel of three leaders in the New Zealand gaming sector will answer questions surrounding the gaming industry; Jon Labrie, former Weta Digital CTO and head of mobile gaming company Blister, Steve Haddock, Microsoft NZ marketing manager for consumer products which includes the sales and marketing of Microsoft PC games, and Mario Wynands, managing director of gaming studio Sidhe Interactive and Acting President of the NZGDA. In addition, an expo will feature a range of PC and console gaming products which will also include a retro gaming desk.

To find out more information and register your interest click here.

27 January 2003 - "The Business Of Playing Games" Presentation in Wellington

Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive and Acting President of the NZGDA, will be presenting a talk entitled "The Business Of Playing Games" at the New Zealand Computer Society Wellington branch lunch on 30 January.

The presentation will cover the global videogame market which has exploded in recent years as gaming has become a mass market pastime, and is now generating more than US$10 billion in annual revenues worldwide. The talk will look into how the industry works, and will investigate what opportunities there are for New Zealand in this space.

To find out more information and register your interest click here.