GameArts Licenses BigWorld Suite For Upcoming MMO

BigWorld has announced that negotiations have been finalized earlier this week for Japan based developer GameArts to use BigWorld's content development tool BigWorld Technology Suite in its upcoming MMO Hokuto-no-Ken Online. The Australia-based BigWorld licenses its middleware, comprised of the BigWorld Server, Content Creation Tools, 3D Client Engine, and Live Management Tools and Instrumentation, to game studios developing MMOs and virtual worlds. Other recently-announced BigWorld licensees include Kwari and Bitcasters. Hajime Tanigawa, Hokuto-no-ken ONLINE project director, said that BigWorld Technology Suite provided some key benefits in the development of the game, including improvement of the client's visual technology, high stability, fault tolerance, server availability and rapid content implementation. "Adopting BigWorld technology has allowed us to focus on the pursuit of entertainment quality in the game itself and allows us to efficiently create a rich gaming experience in the high-paced development process," Tanigawa addded. Gavin Longhurst, VP of business bevelopment for BigWorld, commented, "This is an exciting development for both the BigWorld Technology Suite and the Japanese MMO market. We believe that the MMO market is increasing in the region and the BigWorld Technology Suite will assist in making an efficient process for developers in this medium."