Press release: 1998-10-12: Sega of America's First Dreamcast Title Debuts At Tokyo Game Show

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: The Free Library

Sega Signs Babylon 5 Special Effects Studio to Create Cinematics for Game

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1998--At the Tokyo Game Show in Japan last week, Sega(R) Enterprises, Ltd. unveiled the first game developed by Sega of America's internal studio for Dreamcast(TM), the ultimate gaming machine.

The game, called "Geist Force" in Japan, will be available December 1998. Sega selected Netter Digital Entertainment, Inc. (NDEI), one of Hollywood's premiere digital visual effects companies, best known for their award-winning work on Babylon 5, to create cinematics for the game.

"Geist Force" is an enormous 3D flying shooter set on an alien planet in the distant future. The game features hundreds of miles of 3D mountains, deep canyons, erupting volcanoes and rushing rivers in which to fly and fight. Players soar through detailed, hi-resolution 3D graphics that look more like a sci-fi television show than a videogame. The game also offers the first-ever full-3D special effects with true-to-life physics. When an explosion occurs, a player's ship and the objects in the immediate area will be jolted by the blast, as would occur in the real world.

In "Geist Force," there is no rest for the weary. The expansive memory found in Dreamcast means no load times, creating non-stop action. And "how" you save the planet determines your reward. The game's skill-based reward system determines a player's fate even after he or she wins the game.

Sega enlisted NDEI to create detailed 3D cinemagraphics and visual effects for the game. The visual effects featured in the title rival those found in Hollywood's most elaborate television productions. Each cinematic sequence seamlessly blends with gameplay to create a non-stop gaming experience.

"Dreamcast can handle a more complex level of graphics than any other video game system we have seen in the past," explained Jason Netter, vice president, new business development, NDEI. "Knowing this, our team of animators was particularly enthusiastic about working with Sega because it allows them to move their work beyond the world of television and motion pictures to a whole new outlet all of them enjoy."

"The advanced 3D graphic and audio capabilities of Dreamcast allow our game developers to create games that psychologically, emotionally and physically involve the player, rather than just passively entertaining them," said Eric Hammond, vice president, product development, Sega of America. "Working with Dreamcast, we can now create games like 'Geist Force' where people actually play and experience the stunning science fiction worlds they typically only see on television shows such as Babylon 5."

Sega of America is the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd. responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Enterprises, Ltd. is a nearly $3.0 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media, and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at (http://www.sega.com).

Netter Digital Entertainment, Inc. is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of television series, made for television movies, documentaries, theatrical motion pictures and multimedia products. Netter is internationally recognized for its award-winning visual effects for the critically acclaimed television series Babylon 5, produced in association with J. Michael Straczynski's Synthetic World, Ltd. under Babylonian Productions. The company recently announced the new series Crusade, with J. Michael Straczynski, which will premiere on Turner Network Television (TNT) in early 1999.
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