Gaming News - December 2006
Austin, TX (December 14, 2006) - Certain Affinity today announced
a partnership with Bungie Studios and Microsoft Game Studios to develop
multiplayer maps for Halo 2, which will be released this spring by Microsoft
Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. The company is also creating a new
Xbox 360 title to be announced at a later date.
From Certain Affinity:
Founded by Max Hoberman, an industry veteran and former Halo 2 and Halo 3
multiplayer team lead, Certain Affinity is focused on creating top-tier games
and content in an efficient, no-nonsense manner. The company's staff and
leadership averages 12 years in the industry and draws on a wealth of experience
from such companies as Origin, Digital Anvil, and Bungie. The team includes
major contributors from dozens of hit titles including games in the Ultima, Wing
Commander, Myth, Asheron's Call, Freelancer, and Ghost Recon series, as well as
all of the titles in the Halo series.
"We're not setting out to change the industry," says Hoberman. "We're creating
games by choosing strong leaders, talented and experienced developers, and solid
partners. This partnership with Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios is a piece of
that puzzle and we hope it's the start of a long and fruitful relationship."
This down-to-earth approach has been a hallmark of Hoberman's success as the
former Halo 2 and Halo 3 multiplayer team lead, where he initiated and oversaw
the multiplayer gameplay, user interface, and online systems. Hoberman drove the
invention of features like matchmaking and the party system that helped to make
Halo 2 the most played game on Xbox Live for two straight years after its
release in 2004, with a total of 800 million hours of Halo 2 played online to
date.
After 10 years at Bungie, Hoberman is leaving in the wake of a remarkable string
of achievements and maintains a strong relationship with the studio. He spent
the first year and a half on Halo 3 developing a solid foundation for the
multiplayer and online game, and building a team able to carry the project
through to completion. "What we've accomplished with Halo 3 is extraordinary,"
he says. "Halo 2 turned the online world on its head, but Halo 3 is going to rip
its head right off. I am proud of my contribution to the Halo series and have
learned a lot from my friends at Bungie."
Certain Affinity is not releasing details yet on the game they are working on.
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