[July 21, 2007] Electronics Arts works its magic for summit: TECH SUPPORT CONTROL FREAK Tweet (Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 21--Thanks to a new format, last week's E3 Media & Business Summit was smaller than previous years. One place you could still find a crowd, though, was at the Electronics Arts demo station. The half-dozen or so EA-produced games were easily the most trafficked on the show floor, and included a pair of games made here in Central Florida by EA's Tiburon studio. These games attracted both attention and praise. I am -- for the first time -- actually excited about a Tiger Woods PGA Tour title, thanks to the new Gamernet and Photo Face enhancements. These innovations allow players to upload photos of themselves to a Website. Then the game transforms the image into a virtual golfer with striking accuracy. Players will also be able to challenge other gamers in a competition of their choosing. In an industry largely dominated by West Coast and Japanese game developers, working in Central Florida holds certain advantages for the company. Michael Taramykin, producer of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 says the area's "proximity to the PGA Tour and Tiger Woods have proven to be tremendous advantages. Similarly, the fact that Orlando is such a 'golf-minded' community has certainly helped us make an outstanding golf video game." The same can be said of Florida's passionate football fan base. In 2006, Tiburon produced the No.1 selling game, Madden NFL 07 for PlayStation 2, and three of the top 10 best sellers. Performance like that has made the industry take notice of the company, and the area. "EA Tiburon produces some of the best-selling and high-quality games our industry has. Their sports titles are achievements in innovation, which is leading to expanding the gamer audience and a much-valued diversification of our industry's content," said Michael Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association. Despite Tiburon's continued success, it's not always sunny for game development in the Sunshine State. "Since the game industry has historically been based on the West Coast, recruiting experienced talent to Florida can sometimes be a challenge. We are proud to have the cream of the crop working at our Tiburon studio," said Taramykin. Maybe with solid gaming students coming out of places like UCF's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, they will be able to find talent closer to home in the near future. Jeff Rubenstein can be reached at 407-420-6437 or [email protected] To see more of The Orlando Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.OrlandoSentinel.com. Copyright (c) 2007, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]