Former Executives from Disney, Digital Domain Form Rebel Arts, Offer Powerful New Platform for Massively Multiplayer Gaming
August 2, 2001
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CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2001 via NewsEdge Corporation -
Startup Enlists Strategic Partners AMD and Linux NetworX, Unveils VAST(TM) System; New Platform Seeks To Cut Cost of Game Deployment Dramatically
In a bid to establish a cost-effective standard for massively multiplayer server solutions for the online gaming industry, two former senior entertainment industry executives have formed a new company and enlisted a pair of industry leaders to help realize that vision.
Paul Villadolid, a former senior vice president at Walt Disney Television, and Larry Hess, a former software engineer at special effects pioneer Digital Domain, have joined together to form Rebel Arts, a technology and software developer with a proprietary server platform designed to handle simultaneous, complex interactions on a massive scale. Rebel Arts' Versatile Accelerated Server Technology (VAST(TM)) System will first be deployed in the online game industry.
The technology is designed to handle in excess of 100,000 simultaneous users generating more than two million transactions per second. The VAST System will provide higher performance at a significant cost savings and is designed to be the standard server platform for massively multiplayer online gaming.
Strategic partners AMD and Linux NetworX are providing Rebel Arts with critical support, including the AMD-760(TM) MP dual processor chipset and Linux NetworX's Evolocity(TM) cluster server system, enabling the company to initiate full-scale development of the VAST System. These hardware solutions enable the VAST System to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively than current platforms available for massively multiplayer online gaming.
Both AMD and Linux NetworX are also providing the resources necessary to deploy the VAST System in the online game industry.
"We're completely focused on making massively multiplayer gaming a viable business for game developers and, in short order, expanding the inventory of quality games for dedicated gamers," said Villadolid, CEO, Rebel Arts. "Until now, the cost of building out and maintaining the server back-end necessary to support a massively multiplayer game has been enormous -- a huge roadblock for most game publishers interested in venturing into massively multiplayer gaming. Our VAST System perfects the business model for subscription-based, massively multiplayer games by providing a cost-effective and performance efficient platform for operating these games.
"Game publishers large and small will benefit from our platform, as our technology and Data Centers make the move into massively multiplayer gaming not only affordable, but profitable as well.
"With movie studios all looking to develop strategies to converge their content with interactive entertainment on the Internet, massively multiplayer games will very likely be the answer to the studio's prayers. These subscription-based games have the potential to sign up millions of subscribers for games based on popular film titles. With the average life span for a single game approaching five years or more, these games represent a significant new revenue stream for the film industry."
"Rebel Arts shares our focus on the online gaming industry and its VAST System has been designed to take full advantage of our AMD-760 MP chipset, which will deliver the performance needed for the high demands of a massively multiplayer system," said Ed Ellett, vice president, Server and Workstation Marketing, Computation Products Group (CPG), AMD.
"Online gaming is an industry on the verge of explosive growth, and Linux NetworX is committed to providing technology solutions for the server backends that will power this expansion," said Glen Lowry, president and CEO, Linux NetworX. "Rebel Arts has a highly advanced and cost-efficient platform in the VAST System, and we're proud to be partnered with them and providing them with our Evolocity cluster systems."
The company will also provide Rebel Arts(TM) Data Centers, which enable publishers to outsource their game hosting and control their system costs and remain focused on the business of game development. Rebel Arts Data Centers provide 24/7/365 on-site staffing of system administrators, full technical support, and complete management of customer service, billing and collection services.
"The VAST System contains key innovations in design that allow hosting of multiple games on a single system, as well as dynamic load balancing to increase performance efficiency and exceptional fault tolerance, which reduces downtime significantly," said Hess, Rebel Arts' Chief Technology Officer. "The system can also be used by non-gaming industries such as e-commerce, manufacturing and other businesses that require sophisticated database processing and management."
About Rebel Arts LLC
Based in Calabasas, Rebel Arts LLC (
www.rebelarts.com) is a technology and software developer with an advanced server platform that brings significant improvements in design, performance and cost-effectiveness to massively multiplayer online gaming. Rebel Arts' Versatile Accelerated Server Technology (VAST(TM)) System was developed to be the standard server platform for online gaming, helping to perfect the subscription-based, massively multiplayer online gaming business model. The VAST System's design enables both large and small game publishers to profitably participate in the massively multiplayer online market. The company is privately held.
