Mutable Realms Licenses Wish Engine

Straight from my inbox:

Mutable Realms licenses Wish engine to Shanghai Cartoon

North Palm Beach, FL, USA – May 3rd, 2004 – Mutable Realms, creators of the upcoming Ultra Massive Online Role Playing Game “Wish”, today announced they have licensed the Wish engine to Shanghai Cartoon for their upcoming game “Sui Tang Online”.

Sui Tang Online, developed by Shanghai Cartoon in cooperation with Shanghai Animation Film Studio, is based on a well-known story from Chinese history in which the oppressed subjects of the Sui Emperor revolt to bring about the Tang Dynasty. The story of the game and its characters are licensed from the very popular TV animation series “Sui Tang Ying Xiong Zhuan”, created, produced and published by Shanghai Animation Film Studios.

Under the agreement, Mutable Realms supplies the game engine that powers Wish’s ultra-massive online world, and Shanghai Cartoon develops all artwork and content for the game. Shanghai Cartoon will also distribute and operate Sui Tang Online in Mainland China

As the first collaboration between U.S. and Chinese developers to create a Chinese massively multiplayer online game, both companies are excited about this multinational venture and together will seek out further licensing opportunities in other countries.

The Wish game engine is built on Ice, the Internet Communcations Engine, developed by ZeroC. Ice is one of the most versatile and powerful object middleware platforms available today, providing the speed and scalability necessary to meet the demanding requirements of an ultra massive online game.

“As the largest animation production studio in China, we have dedicated ourselves to creating original content, with great success in animation, cartoons and merchandising,” said Jin Guo Ping, President of Shanghai Animation Film Studio. “The online gaming industry presents exciting new opportunities for licensing our content, and we believe Sui Tang Online will be a tremendous success”

“The Wish engine provides us with the flexibility and scalability that we need for the development of Sui Tang Online,” said Lan Hai Wen, President of Shanghai Cartoon. “By licensing the game engine, we can concentrate on our core strength, which is the development of game content and art.” Mr. Lan Hai Wen is a former vice president of Ubi Soft China, and has successfully co-launched Legend of Mir2 in China.

“Online games are becoming increasingly popular in China, with yearly revenue of US$450 million in 2003,” said Marc Laukien, President of Mutable Realms. “We are very proud that Shanghai Cartoon chose our Wish engine for their high-profile title Sui Tang Online.”

About Mutable Realms

Mutable Realms specializes in Ultra Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (UMMORPGs). Mutable Realms’ headquarters are in North Palm Beach, Florida, with locations in Huntsville, Alabama, and in Halifax and St. John’s, Canada. Mutable Realms employs more than 30 people worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.mutablerealms.com.

About Shanghai Cartoon

Shanghai Cartoon’s core business is the development of online games, digital medial content, and TV commercial post-production. Shanghai Cartoon won several awards in computer graphics, and employs more than 90 people. For more information, please visit http://www.cartooncn.net.

About Shanghai Animation Studios

Shanghai Animation Studios was founded in 1957 and now employs over 600 people. It is the largest animation creation and production firm in China, and one of the largest in Asia. Shanghai Animation Studios has won many awards at international animation festivals. For more information, please visit http://www.ani-sh.com.

About ZeroC

ZeroC provides a fast and highly-scalable communications infrastructure for demanding technical applications. ZeroC’s flagship product is Ice, the Internet Communications Engine. Ice is one of the most versatile and powerful object middleware platforms available. For more information, please visit http://www.zeroc.com.