Video Gaming News - May 2004
Santa Monica, CA (May 11, 2004) - Spark has enlisted the aid of Jim
Henson's Creature Shop to provide a greater level of realism for its character
animations in Call of Duty: Finest Hour.
From Activision:
The WWII first-person action game is the first console video game to utilize
the Henson Digital Performance Studio (HDPS) to animate in-game characters by
digitally performing them live. Call of Duty: Finest Hour is in development by
Spark, which is comprised of more than 30 individuals who have worked on the
Medal of Honor series.
Utilizing the Creature Shop's award-winning digital performance technology,
Spark animators are able to capture Henson puppeteers digitally performing the
actions of the Call of Duty: Finest Hour characters live in-game on a virtual
set. In doing so, the performers deliver an amazing level of emotional realism
and lifelike authenticity to the game's cast of gritty, war-torn characters,
never before seen on a console title. The Creature Shop's technology also allows
the Spark team to record and implement the preferred "takes" or cuts into the
game in only a few hours, compared to the typical weeks of time required for
character animation through traditional game development. Additionally, within
the system, the animators can also link up with pre-recorded dialogue and lip
sync to better capture spoken cues for each character, resulting in a greater
emotional connection and an overall compelling gaming experience.
"To best equip our cast of characters for the compelling and gritty experience
of Call of Duty: Finest Hour, we had to find a production approach that would
result in a new level of realism and life for each character," said Scott
Langteau, producer and chief operating officer, Spark. "Having the characters
performed live by highly skilled actors and integrating the results through a
proprietary AI system gave us just the emotionally powerful and the cinematic
impact we wanted."
"We are constantly looking for creative and exciting ways to apply our unique
real-time performance technology and Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a perfect
fit," said Pete Coogan, Managing Director of Jim Henson's Creature Shop. "This
project really showcases the difference a performance approach can have on the
overall gaming experience and we look forward to future collaborations with
Activision and our friends at Spark."
The newest installment in the award-winning Call of Duty(tm) series, Call of
Duty: Finest Hour features all new missions, transporting players to the
frontlines of new campaigns to experience the cinematic intensity and chaos of
battle from the epic moments of war.
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