Also, Todd MacFarlane Productions to make Soul Calibur 2 action figures.Namco and Todd McFarlane Productions, McFarlane Toys Sign Licensing Agreement SOULCALIBUR II figures to be released and a new video game based on Spawn to be developed.
Tokyo, Japan and Tempe, Arizona, April 23, 2003 - Namco Ltd. and Todd McFarlane Productions Inc. have announced today that a mutual agreement has been signed in which both parties are allowing the use of each other’s characters for different business opportunities. Namco Ltd. will be granted the use of Spawn for the creation of a brand new video game and TMP will be granted the use of various SOULCALIBUR II characters for the creation of brand new action figures.
Namco Ltd. will use the Spawn character in the development of a brand new video game created for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Nintendo GameCube™ and Xbox® video game system from Microsoft, and is scheduled to be released in the US market in 2003. Spawn (tentative title) is a mission-based action/adventure set against the backdrop of a darker, near-future New York City environment. Its intuitive controls allow the player to utilize a range of acrobatic jumps, double jumps, glides and climbs throughout the vast city. A combo-based hand-to-hand combat engine will allow the player to deliver many different attacks and devastating moves to punish his enemies. The player will also have access to all of Spawn’s distinctive abilities – his superhuman strength, his arsenal of weaponry, his Hell Powers and, of course, his living symbiotic costume. Spawn will premier at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo to be held in Los Angles this May.
TMP will create a new line of action figures based on the SOULCALIBUR II characters. McFarlane Toys will release it in the summer of 2003. McFarlane Toys is one of the world's largest toy manufacturers. Established in 1994 to manufacture and sell action figures based on founder Todd McFarlane's comic book character Spawn, the international award-winning company has expanded into licensed products to become one of the premiere action figure producers on the planet.
Through a previous arrangement, TMP had already designed an original character, Necrid, for each console version of SOULCALIBUR II and also allowed the use of Spawn to appear as the exclusive character in the Xbox version of the game.
“When developing SOULCALIBUR II, I was working not just on making the game interesting, I was concerned about the storyline and character design”, says Producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama. “How could I bring alive 16th century warriors who bet their life and all their possessions for a moment of glory? Doing that was difficult and the most exciting part of the job. In that process, the opportunity to collaborate with Todd McFarlane on Necrid was key in enhancing the level of the product. As a fellow creator, I feel great pride in the creation of a new character that was developed by the world’s greatest creator. In the Xbox version of SOULCALIBUR II, Todd McFarlane's Spawn will also appear. I’m confident that using cutting edge technologies from Namco such as CG modeling, motion, sound and character manipulation, along with focusing on the original images in the comic books, will bring Spawn to life as he should be. I am also really pleased with the 3D modeling for the SOULCALIBUR II action figures, which have brought this art to its highest form. Being a part of the extremely organic collaboration with Todd McFarlane, which has shown through in SOULCALIBUR II, has been a true honor. I don’t know if I can wait for the Spawn video game that's currently under development in the US. It should be something really special.”
“I've long been interested in the development of video games”, says Creator Todd McFarlane. “Games breathe life into a creator's flat 2D images and bring them alive. As someone who develops ideas, my goal is to create strong characters that are both interesting to look at, and can deliver new and exciting game play. When Namco, who obviously is tops in its field, approached us on developing new characters and integrating my character, Spawn, into its SOULCALIBUR II game, I knew it would be a great opportunity to work with a company on the cutting edge of gaming technology. Their game play and engine design is second to none. I'm very excited and proud of the work that Namco has accomplished on SOULCALIBUR II and I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this game. I am also pretty excited about the action figures my company has produced to accompany the game. We are experimenting with scale and other things, but I think game fans will be astonished at the detail and realism. I'm also looking forward to working with Namco on future projects and ideas, including the upcoming Spawn title.”
Topic: Spawn coming to the GC (Read 1696 times)
