Ignition Entertainment's Japanese studio has licensed NaturalMotion's animation middleware for its upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 action game
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.
Directed by
Devil May Cry monster designer Sawaki Takeyasu,
El Shaddai follows a human named Enoch who has been chosen by the gods to battle fallen angels. The game is designed to offer simplified controls for executing fighting combos combos, and distinctive, watercolor-style environments.
NaturalMotion's Morpheme aims to allow users to "author and preview blends, blend trees, and transition graphs" in real time. The middleware is available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, and iPhone.
Ignition says it considered several options before choosing its animation tools, and believes that Morpheme will allow its animators to "deliver the high quality of performance that this project demands". Various publishers use the animation software, including Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, LucasArts, Disney, Codemasters, THQ, CCP, Bioware, and many others.
"We are delighted that Ignition Entertainment have chosen morpheme as we are fully aware of their commitment to creating the mos believable animation possible for El Shaddai," says NaturalMotion's Sales VP Christian Staack. "We look forward to supporting their project throughout its development and eagerly await the game’s debut at E3 in June."
