Backbone Entertainment Adds UMD Authoring To Game Biz

Backbone Entertainment, a part of the Foundation 9 collective of independent developers, has intriguingly announced that it will expand its game development services to include UMD movie authoring. The developer has obtained an official license to be a UMD authoring service provider, allowing it to create PlayStation Portable-formatted video discs for clients. The UMD authoring services Backbone provides includes interactive menu design and implementation, whether the client needs original menus or converted versions of existing DVD menus. The first UMD videos handled by the company are a pair of game-based cartoons from Capcom, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge Alpha and Omega, due out in March. "The PSP has so many different entertainment capabilities to offer," says Mike Mika, studio head of Backbone’s Emeryville location. "We’re excited to continue to push the limits of the platform, not only in the games that we develop, but also in every other form of media available on the system." The UMD video market exploded shortly after the format's introduction, but has since slowed to a more manageable level after a glut of titles choked sales by introducing a volume of content disproportionate to the install base of the PSP. Companies are now making release decisions for UMD-format releases on a case by case basis, rather than de facto releases.