Reinventing A Gaming Classic: iPhone Beneath A Steel Sky

10:00am Friday, 18th September 2009: Their previous collaborations have set new standards in videogame art and design – and now BAFTA nominated videogame designer Charles Cecil and Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons are to host their first public screening on October 5th at BAFTA, Piccadilly.

“Reinventing A Gaming Classic: iPhone "Beneath A Steel Sky” will be the first time the two luminaries publicly discuss their joint achievements – and offer a glimpse into the future of interactive storytelling with the announcement of their new long-term partnership which looks set to revolutionise the way the two arts mix.

The two first collaborated in 1994 on the multi-award-winning graphic adventure ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’. An enduring mix of complex storytelling and intelligent puzzle-solving, it remains one of the best examples of the genre – as iPhone and iPod touch owners will discover early next month when a ‘remastered’ version of the game is published for their systems.

Gibbons and Cecil have worked together on an ad-hoc basis over the past 15 years. The BAFTA session will premiere new material from ‘Beneath A Steel Sky – Remastered’, as Charles Cecil and Dave Gibbons discuss fresh gaming possibilities now each of their visions can be fully realised. The hour-long session will conclude with an open Q&A session – with attendees able to mingle with the pair in the bar afterwards.

In addition, those attending the session will be presented with a commemorative reprint of the original comic that accompanied the game’s initial release – with the opportunity to have these signed on the night.

“These are changing times for videogame design and development, and we’re tremendously excited about what we can both learn from each other in order to collectively advance the medium,” says Charles Cecil, founder, Revolution Software. “Previously, our collaborations have been reasonably disparate. Reuniting on Beneath A Steel Sky – Remastered has allowed us to appreciate the possibilities of the two mediums fully merging – and we hope to offer an insight into the past, present and future of the genre at this BAFTA screening.”

“Charles and I have become firm friends over the years, but we’ve always kept a reasonable professional distance, for some reason,” adds Dave Gibbons, co-creator of Watchmen. “He’d make games, I’d write comics and graphic novels – and occasionally we’d work together where we could. It was only once we sat down to discuss Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered that we really explored what we could have done with modern gaming technology – and we’re looking forward to sharing our thoughts on the night.”

The session runs from 7:00pm until 8:00pm on Monday, 5th October 2009. Anyone can attend but for non-BAFTA members there’s a £5 charge (which includes a complimentary drink).

The event is likely to sell out fast as places are strictly limited. To reserve or book your place, please do so through BAFTA’s website at http://www.bafta.org/whats-on/ or directly at http://bit.ly/dDfEZ

For those unable to attend, the event will be podcast to subscribers of One Life Left, Europe’s only FM-broadcast videogame radio show. Subscription is free, through iTunes or www.onelifeleft.com

Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered, will be available through the App store for both iPhone and iPod touch users in October 2009.

Event details:

Reinventing A Gaming Classic: iPhone "Beneath A Steel Sky"

David Lean Room, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN

18:30 | Bar open

19:00 | Event starts

Ends

For more information, please contact DaveG@bafta.org / 07742 711 026

Notes to editors

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