What We Have Worked On

In its first 18 months Xen have worked on a number of projects with a variety of partners. We have aimed to work with high quality partners producing entertainment software that people love.

Crackdown - X360 - Realtime Worlds / Microsoft Game Studios

Xen worked on Crackdown in a multitude of ways providing core technology for rendering and physics, artwork, design and managerial resources working both on and off site. Contracted through Microsoft Game Studios we provided a team of 15 people over a 18 month period.

Xen also solved a number of Crackdown’s technological challenges. We provided the technology for animating and rendering the games high density crowd. We also re-engineered the games render engine enabling the game to run at a high frame rate both down on the street in scenes with hundreds of people or at top of a skyscraper surveying an entire city.

Xen also created the game’s particle system, worked on game-play coding, physics and AI, shadow rendering and significant environment and game prop artwork and game QA.

As well as direct production work Xen’s on site staff took control of the project’s scheduling and build / release management helping to bring predictability to a large complex project and guide it towards hitting its final ship date.

More information about Crackdown can be found here at the games website

Moto GP X360 / PSP ATV Blazin’Trails Localizations - THQ / Sony

Xen localized THQ’s Moto GP X360 for the Japanese and Korean markets taking the original X360 code base and adapting it work with the additional languages. During this tight project schedule Xen managed the suppliers of the localization materials and QA.

We also localized Sony’s ATV Blazin’ Trails for PSP to EFIGS, again taking the non - localized code base and retrofitting extra language support. As with Moto GP, as well as providing the engineering resource needed we managed the project through to completion co-ordinating localizers, testers and the publisher.

X360 Interactive Visualizer - Llamasoft / Microsoft

Xen originated the concept of bringing Llamasoft’s light synthesizer technology to Microsoft’s new console and including it in the firmware of every machine shipped. We brokered the deal between Microsoft and Llamasoft and provided management oversight for the project.

Within an incredibly tight schedule Llamasoft delivered a fantastic interactive music visualizer with hundreds of different modes all fitting within 180k of the consoles firmware.

You can read more about Neon, Llamasoft’s light sythesizer technology on the Llamasoft web site