High Moon Studios Launches New Web Site As Company Begins To Grow
Developers of “Darkwatch” Open a Window into the Studio for the Industry, Invite Fans to Become “Insiders”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARLSBAD, Calif. - October 20, 2005 - High Moon Studios, an independent video game developer and creator of the original game property "Darkwatch," today announced the launch of its new web site. The site is a two-way conduit into the studio for fans and game industry professionals, designed to help those interested in High Moon become familiar with the company and its projects. As High Moon begins to expand its development capabilities, the web site offers insight into the vision and culture that will drive its growth, including its dedication to creating original properties. The new site also introduces features in a dedicated "Insiders" section that support the studio's burgeoning fan community, coming on the heels of its chart-topping debut title "Darkwatch." Located at www.highmoonstudios.com, High Moon's web site is co-designed by the studio's internal creative team and the award-winning digital media agency, Beck Interactive.
High Moon's genre-twisting Vampire-Western game "Darkwatch," featuring half-vampire gunslinger Jericho Cross in a fast-paced cinematic first-person shooter, has received broad critical acclaim on its way to becoming one of the highest rated original game properties of the year. The title was recently published in North America by Capcom® Entertainment for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the XboxTM video game system from Microsoft®. Ubisoft has published the title for the same platforms in Europe and Australia, releasing it in those territories earlier this month.
"Our new internet site is designed to serve the sudden surge of interest in our studio," said Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer at High Moon Studios. "The site is both a fun and informative destination. It is more than just a looking glass into the studio for our community of supporters, putting fans in touch with our developers, even allowing them to express themselves artistically. The site is also our formal conduit of information to the industry about our projects as well as our company culture and vision."
High Moon Studios is currently undertaking the development of multiple projects for next-generation consoles. To support the expansion of its internal development capabilities, a large portion of the new web site is designed to inform those interested in the story and people behind the independent studio. The site showcases the characteristics of High Moon's culture, a point of pride for the company and a driving factor behind its consecutive third nomination for the annual Workplace Excellence Award by the San Diego Society of Human Resource Management. It also highlights High Moon's facilities, an architectural award-winning studio created specifically for game development with design input from the company's own staff. Dominated by wide open areas and with an aesthetic paying homage to life in Southern California, the studio boasts internal facilities for every aspect of game development including R&D and online gaming labs, optical motion capture, music mixing and audio Foley, video editing and focus group testing. Through the web site, High Moon will continually provide up-to-date information on current and upcoming career opportunities at the company. The site will soon expand with even more tools to showcase the company's attributes, including a fun directory of staff members, a virtual tour of the studio, and a section highlighting San Diego County, where High Moon Studios is based.
For fans, the new High Moon web site launches with features throughout its "Insiders" section designed to connect them to the studio. Fans can sign up for newsletters, join forums, and even submit their own forms of expression including artwork, fiction, tattoos and just about anything inspired by High Moon's first game, "Darkwatch." To give fans a better look into the depth and breadth of the game's universe, the site features an archive of media created throughout its development. Areas such as "The Vault," named after the concept and design gallery kept under lock and key at High Moon, feature art pieces that have never before been released on the web. "Insiders" also posts developer diaries, and will soon launch live chat sessions hosted by internal developers. High Moon will roll out additional features for fans in the coming months, including eCards, online polls and new downloads. As the company reveals its projects in development, the site will also be the official source for information on these future games.
About High Moon Studios
High Moon Studios is an independent video game development company. Headquartered in the coastal city of Carlsbad in San Diego County, California, High Moon employs more than 100 game developers at a state-of-the-art, fully equipped development facility. High Moon is best known for its critically acclaimed first-person shooter "Darkwatch," and is currently working on additional original properties for next-generation video game consoles. For more information on High Moon Studios, please visit www.highmoonstudios.com. For more information and a dedicated forum on Darkwatch, please visit the official web site at www.darkwatch.com.
About Beck Interactive, Inc.
Beck Interactive, Inc. founded in 1997, is a privately owned interactive agency providing a full range of strategic services for technology-based communications such as product and marketing demonstrations, sales tools, e-commerce and business-to-business web sites. Beck Interactive's clients include high profile industry leaders in high-tech, consumer and entertainment. For additional information on Beck Interactive, please visit http://www.beckinteractive.com
®2005 High Moon Studios, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Published and distributed by Capcom Entertainment, Inc. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. Published and distributed by UBISOFT Entertainment under license from High Moon Studios, Inc. DARKWATCH and all related trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of High Moon Studios, LLC or its affiliates. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks and trade names are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Media Inquiries:
Meelad Sadat
(760) 448-3061
meelad@highmoonstudios.com