Trion World Partners With HP For Broadband Platform

Officials from Trion World Network, an online publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the broadband era, have announced a collaborative effort with technology giant Hewlett Packard to construct the infrastructure for Trion's broadband games and entertainment platform. Trion, which was officially formed in late September 2006, is headed by Dr. Lars Buttler, former vice president of Global Online at Electronic Arts, and Jon van Caneghem, founder and former publisher of New World Computing, and creator of role-playing icon Might and Magic. While details concerning the platform are scarce, Trion officials do note that once completed, the service will permit users to access interactive content from a wide array of devices, using the specific capabilities of the device. While the company has yet to officially announce a product, Trion recently partnered with Emergent to utilize the Gamebryo Element game engine and toolset for "a major game franchise currently in development." "HP's experience in architecting highly scalable and available environments for industries such as games, airlines, telecommunications, and financial stock exchanges makes HP the perfect partner for us," commented Trion CEO Buttler. "Also, we are anxious to leverage HP's unique and powerful presence in the consumer market for gaming devices and consumer electronics products." HP's director of communications, media, and entertainment added: “As global entertainment moves to broadband, the opportunities for transforming interactive entertainment are exploding. Trion will lead the industry a step further by developing technology that will dramatically alter the way interactive entertainment is produced, consumed, and monetized."