IMAGE METRICS STRENGTHENS UK TIES THROUGH TIGA MEMBERSHIP
Facial Animation Company Solidifies UK Game Industry Presence
SANTA MONICA, CA & Manchester, [UK]. – May 2010 – Image Metrics, Inc. (OTC BB: IMGX), a leading provider of facial animation technology and services for the entertainment industry, today announced that it has joined TIGA, the United Kingdom’s leading games industry trade association. Through its membership in TIGA, Image Metrics plans to foster new relationships with UK-based independent games developers, in-house publisher-owned developers, outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities interested in creating more believable characters through responsive yet affordable facial animation.
“TIGA is recognized as an essential resource for the UK video games industry, and Image Metrics is excited to join in support of the UK games development community at the grassroots level,”” said Brian Waddle, Executive Vice President of Image Metrics. “As a company with deep ties to its Manchester roots, it’s only natural for Image Metrics to be an active member of the TIGA community.””
Image Metrics recently launched FACEWAREâ„¢, a unique facial animation technology platform that is easily integrated into any development pipeline and game engine, substantially enhancing the animation process and providing game developers with increased facial believability, creative control, efficiency, and production speed. The technology behind FACEWARETM has been used to achieve outstanding results with dozens of games, including NBA 2K10, Assassin’s Creed II and God of War III. Image Metrics also recently completed a round of financing that is enabling the Company to accelerate its research and development activities on advanced facial animation tools and pursue new opportunities in worldwide game development.
“Image Metrics’ unique facial animation software and impressive body of work in the games industry make the Company a natural addition to our growing community,”” said Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA. “We believe that our respective resources will be mutually beneficial as Image Metrics deepens its ties with the UK games marketplace and helps drive improvements in the quality of faces in games.””
About TIGA
TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s games industry. The majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership.
TIGA’s vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
About Image Metrics, Inc.
Image Metrics provides facial animation software and services to the interactive entertainment and film industries. Developed by a team of computer vision Ph.D.s, Image Metrics’ proprietary software utilizes video of an actor’s performance to drive the animation of a facial performance without markers or makeup. This patented process achieves unparalleled levels of realism and fidelity faster and more efficiently than alternative methods such as motion capture or frame-by-frame animation. Image Metrics’ clients include Activision-Blizzard, Rockstar, Microsoft, 2K, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sega, Sony, Bethesda, DNeg, Motion Theory and Moving Picture Company. Image Metrics is based in Manchester, UK and Santa Monica, CA. www.image-metrics.com
Investor Contacts:
James Leahy, David Collins
Jaffoni & collins (212) 832-8500
imgx@jcir.com
Media Contacts:Shannon McPhee, Jessie Comstock
Bender/Helper Impact
(310) 473-4147
shannon_mcphee@bhimpact.com
Jessie_comstock@bhimpact.com