July 26, 2007
SOE
Announces Lineup of Activities at Comic-Con 2007
A Weekend of Web-Slinging, Swashbuckling,
Fantasy and Mythological Adventure, plus the Return of an Old-Fashioned Block
Party
With over 100,000 fans descending on America’s
Finest City for the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International, Sony Online
Entertainment LLC (SOE) and Sony Pictures Imageworks are joining forces for a
blockbuster lineup of activities, including new games, panel discussions,
autograph sessions and a behind the scenes look at what goes on in a game
development studio.
Comic-Con attendees will get to preview some of
SOE’s hottest upcoming games, including:
- Pirates of the Burning Sea – Sample
swashbuckling action and ship to ship combat on the high seas against the
backdrop of the 18th Century New World. Players can also register for access
to the closed beta for the game. - Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising™ – Command the
powers of the Gods and recruit custom minions including creatures of myth as
you battle to save Rome. Currently in closed beta, fans can also register for
the chance to get in the beta version of the game. - High Stakes on the Vegas Strip Poker Edition –
High rollers at the convention will be able to play against other card sharks
online in the first downloadable poker game for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer
entertainment system.
SOE’s Denver studio will be on hand with their
latest online trading card games:
- Stargate Online Trading Card Game – Gamers can
get in on the “Learn to Play” promotion for this online trading card game
based on MGM’s hit Sci-Fi TV series. - Pirates Constructible Strategy Game (CSG)
Online – Get in on more swashbuckling action in this online version of WizKids’
popular constructible strategy game of piracy and plunder.
Fans will also get to see the latest happenings
in that popular “galaxy far far away,” Star Wars Galaxies™. SOE will debut the
latest addition to the expertise system available to all players, the
Beastmaster. While supplies last, show visitors can pick up SOE’s new
“Station.com” t-shirts and enjoy some other great activities. Booth visitors
will also receive invitations to the 2nd Annual SOE Block Party at SOE’s San
Diego headquarters on Saturday July 28 for an afternoon of food, games, private
tours, hands-on demos and more great SOE swag. There will be free shuttle
service to and from the venue located in front of the San Diego Convention
Center.
On Thursday, July 26 at 5:15pm, Sony Pictures
Imageworks will present “Spider-Man™ 3: Triple Threat.” During the session, the
creative core of the SPIDER-MAN™ 3 visual effects team, Senior Visual Effects
Supervisor Scott Stokdyk, Digital Effects Supervisors Ken Hahn and Peter Nofz,
and Animation Supervisor Spencer Cook will reveal the most challenging technical
achievements that arose while creating the triple threat of the movie’s three
dangerous villains – New Goblin, Venom and Sandman.
For its ground-breaking work in SPIDER-MAN 3, the
Imageworks team created fully articulated, CG characters entirely composed of
dynamically generated particles and fluids. These digital characters, which
embodied key-framed performance animation, interacted both with each other and
with live action characters in real and synthetic environments throughout the
film. Stokdyk, Nofz, Hahn and Cook, who have all worked on the entire Spider-Man
trilogy are coming to Comic Con to discuss the amazing imagery they created to
bring these legendary characters to life.
Prior to the SPIDER-MAN 3 panel, from 2:00-4:00
pm in the Sony booth, the VFX team will be on hand for a special book sale and
signing session of The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man
3.
On Friday, from 2:00-4:00 pm, artists from the
SURF’S UP Animation team will be in the Sony booth for a special book sale and
signing session of Surf’s Up: The Art and Making of a True Story.
SOE and Imageworks will be in Booth #4419 in the
San Diego Convention Center.
