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A partnership between Ubisoft and GeoEye will bring Tom Clancy’s HAWX to the next level. The air combat video game will use “photo-realistic satellite images” to portray real world backdrops for the game’s environments. The title will release for the 360, PS3, and PC and should release in the first quarter of 2009.
August 26, 2008 – Today, Ubisoft and GeoEye, Inc. announced that GeoEye, a premier provider of satellite, aerial and geospatial information, has provided high-resolution images taken from its commercial Earth-imaging IKONOS satellite for integration into Tom Clancy’s HAWX for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Sony PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and on Windows-based PC. Tom Clancy’s HAWX will be available in early 2009. The HAWX development team is working closely with specialists at GeoEye to integrate realistic satellite images for every location throughout the game, including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Canaveral and the Middle East. With more than 16 international locations in the game, every mission will have players flying over GeoEye-provided satellite imagery in a three-dimensional environment creating an unparalleled, dogfighting experience. GeoEye’s IKONOS satellite was the world’s first commercial Earth imaging satellite and its imagery is currently being used for US national security, mapping, air and marine transportation, environmental monitoring and insurance risk management. The amazing quality and detail of the IKONOS images will lend realism to Tom Clancy’s HAWX giving gamers a feeling of immersion that will plunge them into the air combat mission of the game. “High-resolution satellite imaging is moving from the black world of intelligence to the white world of commerce and Tom Clancy’s HAWX will bring that reality to gamers,” said Mark Brender, vice president, corporate communications and marketing at GeoEye. “With video game graphics becoming more realistic, the use of high-quality photographic ground textures in HAWX adds true photo-realism to the air combat experience.” During the development process the HAWX team has also worked with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science (USGS/EROS) to understand how to best create a topographical ‘underpinning’ for the satellite imagery, creating a very realistic representation of the Earth. “We are extremely grateful to GeoEye for their collaboration with Ubisoft and pleased with the level of quality and service we’ve received,” said Travis Getz, authenticity coordinator for the HAWX development team. “GeoEye’s amazing imagery, combined with the intense aerial combat experience in HAWX, makes this a perfect partnership for everyone–especially gamers.” |
