Sonic Heroes Being Developed With RenderWare

Three days ago SEGA announced in a press release stating that the upcoming game Sonic Heroes was being developed using Criterion Software's video game development software, RenderWare.

Criterion Software is also the game developer behind the racing game Burnout 2, which will also use the RenderWare development kit. As will other third party games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.

Below is the press release, I'll be looking into this more as time goes on.

Quote

May 27th, 2003 - Criterion Software®, the world's leading provider of game development solutions, announces that its de facto game development technology, RenderWare®, will be used by SEGA®'s SONICTEAM, Ltd. development studio in the creation of "Sonic HeroesTM" for the PlayStation®2, XboxTM and Nintendo GameCubeTM.

Already previewed at E3, "Sonic Heroes" demonstrates the real power and strength of RenderWare, and its ability to support the timely delivery of highly creative games on any platform. RenderWare has been supporting the SEGA Sonic team throughout the development process of Sonic HeroesTM, helping them deliver the awesome new graphics and gameplay the world expects from SEGA.

Yuji Naka, President & CEO of the Sonic Team comments, "We decided to license RenderWare because the solution provided us with not only the technology, but also the best methodologies for efficient multi-platform development, enabling our team to focus on what really makes Sonic stand out.

"Criterion's extensive knowledge and experience of multiplatform development has enabled them to provide unrivalled support throughout the course of the development process. We hope our customers will enjoy the thrilling experience of our latest and greatest Sonic."

David Lau-Kee adds, "We are honored to be an integral part of what is a hugely significant move for the Sonic brand at this time. Its enormous success to date is testament to the huge talent within the SEGA Sonic team and we are fully committed to supporting them to maximize the huge opportunities on all available platforms."

Other top games that have used Criteron's Renderware tools include Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, and Burnout 2: Point of Impact, among others. Together, retail sales of RenderWare games have topped $2 billion worldwide.

via Planet Gamecube