TECHNOLOGIES
businesswire | April 21, 2023
Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“SIE”) announced today it has entered into an agreement with ProbablyMonsters Inc. to acquire Firewalk Studios™, a studio of industry-leading creatives developing an original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation®5 (PS5™) and PC. Firewalk will collaborate alongside world-class development teams, including Bungie and Haven Interactive Studios, to define a new generation of live service experiences for PlayStation gamers.
Based in Bellevue, WA, Firewalk was formed in 2018 as part of ProbablyMonsters, an independent AAA game company founded by CEO Harold Ryan (former CEO, President and Chairman at Bungie) that builds sustainable game teams focusing on original AAA games. Firewalk’s team of best-in-class developers, led by industry veterans Tony Hsu (Studio Head, previously GM and SVP of Destiny at Activision) and Ryan Ellis (Game Director, previously Creative Director at Bungie), have years of collective expertise on some of gaming’s most successful and impactful multiplayer titles. ProbablyMonsters and Firewalk announced an exclusive publishing partnership with SIE in April 2021 and now Firewalk will be the 20th studio to join PlayStation Studios.
“Firewalk Studios is led by a world-class team that is highly experienced and deeply passionate about creating exceptional multiplayer games that foster memorable shared experiences,” said Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment. “I’m confident the studio’s upcoming project will be a robust addition to PlayStation Studios’ portfolio, and its live service and technology expertise will be instrumental in helping grow PlayStation’s reach.”
“We’re thrilled to expand upon our collaborative relationship with Firewalk Studios and formally welcome the team to PlayStation Studios,” said Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios. “We’ve had the privilege of working with ProbablyMonsters and Firewalk for several years and our teams share the same ambition to create meaningful experiences for gamers. Firewalk’s innovative approach to connected storytelling and its commitment to high-quality gameplay continues to exceed our expectations. I think fans will be very pleased when they see what Firewalk has in store for them.”
“We've assembled an amazing team at Firewalk Studios, built specifically to bring memorable multiplayer experiences to players around the world,” said Tony Hsu, Studio Head of Firewalk Studios. “SIE has supported our team’s vision from the beginning and with the incredible creative power of the PlayStation Studio ecosystem. This exciting next step will help us transform that vision into a reality.”
“ProbablyMonsters is incredibly proud of the team and the game we incubated and built over the past few years. Firewalk Studios joining PlayStation Studios is a brilliant move for the team, game, and future players,” said Harold Ryan, CEO and president of ProbablyMonsters. “Our goal at ProbablyMonsters is to find the best path to market for all of our games, and we couldn’t be happier for the Firewalk team.”
With nearly 150 employees and growing, Firewalk’s day-to-day operations post-acquisition will continue to be run by the studio’s management team in collaboration with PlayStation Studios External Development team. Terms of this transaction, including the acquisition cost, are not disclosed due to contractual commitments.
About Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services. PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR2, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation™Store, PlayStation®Plus, and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from PlayStation Studios. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SIE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and has global functions in California, London and Tokyo.
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SOLUTIONS
PrecisionOS | March 09, 2023
PrecisionOS, a medical education simulation provider, has recently launched a virtual reality curriculum for orthopedic training. This curriculum is an extensive guide for all surgical residency programs in North America.
It was compiled through valuable input and consultation of surgeon educators and aligned with ACGME and CanMEDs framework. It supports skill acquisition and standards in surgical training with augmented virtual reality for surgical residents. It is accessible to all orthopedic surgical residency programs in North America. Its release will be at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, scheduled on November 07, 2023. The company would add more content to the curriculum over the coming months and has about 60 residency and fellowship programs on the platform. The multiple independent trials published in peer-reviewed journals demonstrate that the PercisionOS platform participants became more competent with fewer complications and improved patient outcomes.
MD, CEO of PrecisionOS, Dr. Danny Goel said, "To truly harness the power of V.R., we needed to offer a guide on how to seamlessly integrate V.R. within academic programs." He added, "This curriculum covers all orthopedic disciplines and provides learners with relevant and actionable data to becoming an integral part of their current educational pathway, understanding when to use which medical devices all while enhancing performance in the operating room."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
"I have been impressed with the effort and dedication to resident education during the development and expansion of the PrecisionOS system. Precision's new curriculum is based on sound educational principals and provides a roadmap for steps to integrate modules into training programs with a view to augment skills training of our residents," said Dr. J. L. Marsh, MD, Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About PercisionOS
Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, PercisionOS, a hospital and healthcare services provider, specializes in virtual reality, software development, orthopedics, V.R. development, A.R., MR, X.R., simulation, ed-tech, and healthcare. It has provided virtual reality surgical training solutions to the medical industry since 2017. It empowers hospitals, universities and medical device companies with trained medical residents, surgeons and medical device representatives. It has improved skills and enhanced knowledge through an immersive platform. It has collaborative affiliations with medical device companies, professional societies and medical institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
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APPLICATIONS
businesswire | March 23, 2023
Nex, a leader in motion entertainment, today announced they will be offering an exclusive first look at Nex Playground, a new entertainment device that delivers immersive games and experiences powered by body motion, at the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) on March 22-24 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. GDC attendees will also get to experience a broad portfolio of motion games and experiences at Nex’s booth.
“Finding entertainment choices that are active, positive, and healthy can be a challenge for anyone, and families in particular. Nex Playground encourages new forms of physical play, and also brings people together,” said David Lee, co-founder and CEO of Nex. “At GDC, we want to show creators how full-body motion interaction is something any game developer can leverage to open up a new world of immersive motion-based experiences.”
Nex Playground delivers the most natural and intuitive way to play with no extra wearables. Simply connect Nex Playground to a big screen TV and you’ll instantly transform your living room into an active play space. Nex Playground sees your body movements and provides endless hours of fun for the whole family. It’s like an arcade, theme park, sports park, playground, and gym, all rolled into one. Nex Playground supports any number of players and can even connect friends for remote play. The Nex Playground remote is equipped with haptic feedback, allowing motion games to become even more immersive and magical.
In addition to previewing the new device, Nex is inviting all game developers and designers who want to build immersive, motion-powered gameplay experiences to join their presentation on “Motion Tracking Meets AI, Creating a New Category of Games” at the GDC Partner Stage on March 22 at 11:30 a.m. Lee will introduce new and powerful motion capture tools for development in Unity, and explain how to publish motion-based games on a variety of consumer devices and platforms, including Nex Playground.
To help the motion entertainment ecosystem accelerate, Nex has created a package of content development tools that allow game and content developers to create their own motion experiences. This includes the Nex Motion Developer Kit (MDK), an AI-powered toolkit for building motion interactive content and games right within Unity. Nex has been working closely with a few game developers already to put the MDK to the test.
“Here's the wonderful thing about motion games: the player's body is way richer and more intricate than any controller could ever be,” said Mattia Traverso, the BAFTA finalist Game Designer who will be joining Lee on stage for the presentation. “Players can be very creative in the way they interact with our games through their body poses and movements. Now we can build games that respond to these organic inputs and create new kinds of experiences that would not be possible before. And what’s cool about Nex’s Motion Developer Kit is that it’s really easy to create these kinds of games now.”
As pioneers in motion entertainment, Nex is paving the way to a powerful new interactive paradigm that taps into the pure joy of physical activity. Within its motion entertainment ecosystem, endless possibilities await in a range of experiences spanning different realms of interest, from dance to sports to education to interactive adventures. Compared to traditional video games and fitness apps, Nex’s motion-based experiences blend movement and interactive content to deliver entertainment that is as intuitive as using your hands and feet. The experiences require no headset, keyboard, or game controller to enjoy, instead leveraging natural body movement to interact with the myriad of activities.
Nex’s motion experiences are available on billions of camera-enabled consumer devices such as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Starting this summer, some of Nex’s games like Starri, a heart-pounding motion-based rhythm game, will also become available on Steam. Additionally, Nex is currently collaborating closely with operators, TV manufacturers, brands and IP holders to bring motion entertainment to life.
Nex Playground is slated to launch alongside a subscription catalog of more than 30 games and experiences, with the first batch of units targeting holiday 2023. In June, the company plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign for Nex Playground, which will offer priority access to early inventory and other perks. For an opportunity to be an early backer, sign up HERE. Developer kit units will be available this summer.
Nex collaborated with level Design, a woman-led industrial design shop based in San Francisco, to create the design of Nex Playground, and SKYWORTH Group Limited, a leading supplier of advanced, high-quality TV and entertainment solutions, to produce the physical models being shown at GDC.
About Nex
Nex is helping humanity reconnect with the joy of movement through fun, social, and interactive motion entertainment that’s accessible on any modern camera-equipped device. Using cutting-edge AI, mobile, and vision technologies, Nex merges the digital and physical worlds, so players are immersed in the experience using their natural body movement. Nex has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, Time’s Best Inventions, and has been awarded the prestigious Apple Design Award. Nex apps are used in more than 200 countries around the world and include HomeCourt, Active Arcade, Party Fowl, Starri, Miniacs Steering Madness and Peppa Pig: Jump and Giggle.
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