Computer Graphics World

6 June 2009 Think Services Game Group's Game Developer Research has revealed the results of its "2009 Game Development Outsourcing Report," which fi nds that the proportion of respondents whose studios use outsourced game develop- ment rose 10 percent between 2007 and 2008, from 76 percent to 86 percent. Almost 200 professional game developers were polled anonymously to construct a comprehensive look at the segment. The developers were asked questions about their studio's use of outsourcing, their outsourcing budgets and plans, regional factors, and more. The report fi nds that game development outsourcing is on track to grow to be an even larger practice than it is now. Half the participating developers who do not yet use outsourc- ing say they plan to begin doing so, and 95 percent of those who already use outsourcing expect to continue. Other fi nd- ings include the fact that a major contributor to the growth of outsourcing is the increasing cost and bandwidth required to create a high volume of assets for modern console systems. Respondents reported that Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Play- Station 3 are the two platforms for which elements of game creation are most often outsourced. The report also fi nds that outsourcing is on the rise in terms of overall budget allocation. The high end of outsourcing budgets increased nearly twofold, with the proportion of companies planning to spend $2 million or more on outsourcing rising to almost 20 percent in 2008. Additionally, the report discusses overall budgets, reasons for outsourcing, the selection process for choosing fi rms to out source to, and the regions of the world with which the respondents worked. The report can be purchased at www. gamedevresearch.com. Outsourcing within the Gaming Industry Is on the Rise NEWS: OUTSOURCING Blackmagic Releases Host of Offerings Blackmagic Design recently unveiled several new products, including two new Videohub routers: a compact 16x32 model for under $5000, and the Enterprise Videohub, a 144x288 model for the largest broadcast and postproduc- tion facilities that sells for under $30,000. Both sport 3 Gb/ sec SDI, built-in deck control routing, redundant power and switchable SD, HD, and 3Gb/sec SDI, and re-clocking. In addition, Blackmagic updated the Videohub router software to 4.0, which includes a new design with touch screens. The update is free to all Videohub customers. The company also rolled out OpenGear Converters with SD/HD auto switching, DashBoard network control, and 3 Gb/sec SDI, which are selling for $495. It also unveiled DeckLink Optical Fiber, the fi rst 10-bit SD/HD broadcast capture card with both optical-fi ber SDI and regular SDI, for $495; HDLink Optical Fiber, a 3 Gb/sec optical-fi ber SDI and conventional SDI monitoring solution for SDI, HD, and 2K monitors for $795; and new, bi-directional Mini Convert- er Optical Fiber for $495. Aside from a number of other releases (which can be found on cgw.com), the fi rm also introduced Ultrascope, a combination PCI Express card and software waveform monitor for $695. PRODUCT: VIDEO CARDS Havok Reveals New Middleware SDK Havok, known for its physics software, rolled out a new offering, Havok AI, which provides developers with solutions for pathfi nding and advanced character interaction in highly dynamic game environments. Havok AI meets the challenge of pathfi nding with its new platform-optimized SDK that features a robust automatic nav mesh generator that creates the nav meshes in seconds from complex game levels of hundreds of thousands of trian- gles, allowing for the rapid iteration of level content. With Havok AI, the pathfi nding is fully integrated and dynamic, not static, with additional layered dynamic avoidance technol- ogy to handle thousands of moving obstacles in real time with high fi delity. Fully extensible and customizable, the solu- tion includes a hierarchical pathfi nder that is multithreaded and works on all the major gaming platforms. Furthermore, with a predictive local steering module, characters predict the movement of obstacles and adapt accordingly, moving plausibly through the complex and often congested situa- tions that arise when environments become dynamic. Havok AI features out-of-the-box integration with Havok Phys- ics, Destruction, Animation, and Behavior. Havok AI can be purchased as a stand-alone product or with Havok Physics. PRODUCT: GAMING AI

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