HOLLYWOOD -- Solar Studios and Tricor Entertainment have formed an alliance to develop upcoming blockbuster Hollywood-style action games and related film properties.
The two founders of Tricor Entertainment, Howard Kazanjian and Craig Darian, have a long history of Hollywood box office and critical success. Kazanjian's producing credits include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Demolition Man, The Rookie and the CBS hit J.A.G. As an Executive Producer, Craig Darian has worked on feature films starring some of Hollywood's top talents -- including Academy Award Winners Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins, Mercedes Ruehl, Lee Grant, Cloris Leachman, Martin Landau and Rita Moreno -- in independent films like The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Devil & Daniel Webster and The Amati Girls.
The joint venture will combine the talents of Hollywood producers with a top video game publisher to develop games and films simultaneously, allowing both sides of the project to collaborate on the creative development and share resources from actors to computer special effects. The alliance will also allow for the simultaneous launch of games and movies, maximizing the exposure for both companies and cross-pollinating the marketing benefit of every project produced.
Solar Studios creates cinema-quality, interactive games for PCs and next generation game consoles. The company is currently in production of several non-movie related titles including Metal Combat set for release in Winter 2005.
The first Solar and Tricor project is an unnamed Sci-Fi action/adventure property. The upcoming project will feature A-list talent and cutting-edge graphics.
"Howard and Craig are two of the most respected producers and entertainment executives in the film business. I have always admired their work, which has included some of the most popular feature films of all time. They are also among the few with an eye to the future of the technologies and innovations that will drive the entertainment business," said Matthew Green, Lead Designer and Software Architect, Solar Studios. "They are bringing the type of top-notch producing, acting and writing talent normally only seen in major Hollywood productions to our cutting-edge games."
Solar Studios has developed a SubaZ physics engine that allows games to generate unlimited and unpredictable character interactions instead of the canned animations found in most games. This technology is being used to create cinema-quality gameplay for today's computers and tomorrow's next generation gaming platforms.
"Solar is quickly establishing itself as one of the hottest independent publishers in the business with games that hit a new level of production quality, originality and interactivity," said Craig Darian, Co-Chairman & CEO, Tricor Entertainment.
"We are confident that the blend of creative imagination, technical innovation and business maturity between our two companies will make for a dynamic commercial combination." Adds Howard Kazanjian, Co-Chairman, Tricor Entertainment, "We worked with Matt Green in the past decade in the post production arena, and have found his technical abilities and cutting-edge vision to be among the finest we've ever encountered."
About Solar Studios
Solar Studios creates multi-platform, interactive entertainment software. The company focuses on fusing real-time, cinema-quality experiences with action-oriented dynamic game play. With their patented SubaZ(TM) technology, all Solar games are delivered in fully interactive environments. Solar team members were the first in the world to achieve film quality 24-bit color and 16-bit surround sound in a home computer game. The privately held company is headquartered in Miami, Florida. More information is available at http://www.SolarStudiosInc.com.
About Tricor Entertainment
Tricor Entertainment, Inc. is a diversified privately-held corporation that owns and operates various companies involved in production, post production, international distribution and exhibition. In addition to having produced several prominent motion pictures and having operated some of the largest post production studios in the world -- including the Sound Services Divisions at Paramount Studios, Walt Disney Studios, CBS/MTM Studios, and Marvel Entertainment -- Tricor Entertainment also owns and operates a 19,000+ seat theater circuit in South East Asia, and a distribution company that has released 80+ features during the past 6-years. Major titles include: War of the Worlds; Sahara; National Treasure; Meet The Fockers; Alexander; Spider-Man; Van Helsing; Pirates of the Caribbean; Hulk; Pearl Harbor; Tomb Raider 1 & 2; Around The World In 80-Days; Men In Black, II; The Scorpion King; Gladiator; Jurassic Park, III; Mission Impossible 1 & 2; The Mummy 1 & 2; and many more. Both Kazanjian and Darian are longtime voting members in several organizations including: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences; Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and Producers Guild of America; Tricor Entertainment has offices in San Marino, Hollywood, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Additional information is available at http://www.TricorEntertainment.com.
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