Age of Conan's new face could soon be your face
At first you'll be like, "So what?" And then you'll see the screenshots and you'll be like, "Meh, whatevs." But then you'll see the video and you'll just start to see the rather silly potential behind this rather silly tool.BigStage.com and GGL.com (the Global Gaming League) have partnered together to bring BigStage's proprietary face-mapping engine to the Age of Conan MMO. Right now? All that quickly means is that you can take your picture and have it mapped onto 3D renders of AoC characters. Send it to your friends, post it on FaceBook, yadda yadda. But you can also have your face mapped into cinematic videos from the AoC media library.
Check out some sample videos and see if you don't get an eyebrow raising out of it. Because, sure, the novelty of appearing in a pre-rendered Conan video would be cool a couple of times, but it'd lose its novelty after half a dozen views. That is, until you hear the part where BigStage is bringing their technology to in-game characters. SoonTM, or so they say.
I have to admit, if I had my ugly mug on an in-game character, I'd probably be rerolling the next day. Of course, that'd only be out of sheer embarrassment from having spent the previous day running around in my loincloth, trying to /dance with anyone that mapped their own face onto a female avatar. No need to get sacrosanct. You'd do it, too.
Become an “Age of Conan” Barbarian With Big Stage Entertainment and GGL Global Gaming
Big Stage Technology Puts Your 3-D Face on “Age Of Conan” Video Game Content for Personalization of Game Images, Animated Clips and Video.
Share the Experience and You Could Win Free “Age of Conan” Subscriptions.
LOS ANGELES, CA — April 20, 2009 — Big Stage Entertainment, Inc., the leading service for consumer projection of self into digital life, and GGL Global Gaming, one of the world’s largest social communities for gamers, have teamed up to offer gamers the ability to put their faces into exclusive content from the Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures video game by Funcom. The experience is available on a GGL Global Gaming minisite on BigStage.com and is being promoted across GGL Global Gaming communities, with additional support from Funcom.
“We’re excited to offer fans of the popular Age of Conan game the ability to literally see themselves as part of the fantasy action,” said Phil Ressler, Big Stage Entertainment CEO. “GGL Global Gaming clearly understands the future of immersing gamers into the entertainment they are most passionate about and letting them share the experience across their online life, from MySpace and Facebook to YouTube. Big Stage Entertainment looks forward to continuing to lead video game innovation by taking our personalization technology in-game soon.”
Big Stage Entertainment offers the most realistic Web-based 3-D facial modeling technology available to consumers. The Company’s proprietary technology automatically maps the contours of the face from a few digital photos. The resulting realistic, animated 3-D model called an @ctor is created and inserted into digital media in just minutes, making you the star of completely personalized interactive entertainment experiences.
Beginning today, Funcom’s Age of Conan game is featured on the new GGL Global Gaming channel on BigStage.com. There PC gamers can create animated Big Stage “@ctors” to be inserted into a variety of Age of Conan content including still images, animated clips and video. Additional Big Stage solutions support Macintosh, iPhone and other digital media and gaming platforms.
As part of the experience, @ctors can be instantly accessorized with hairstyles, eyeglasses, hats and helmets before being seamlessly integrated using advanced animation technology into Age of Conan content selected by the user. Personalized Age of Conan content can then be shared with friends, family and colleagues through email, Web embeds and direct posting to social networks.
People 17 years or older with registered accounts on both BigStage.com and GGL.com who share their Age of Conan image or video the most times will win one of 17 free Age of Conan subscriptions plus in-game bonus items. For more details on how to enter and Official Rules, click here.
“This technology provides us with a unique way to personally engage around a game title,” said Ted Owen, CEO of GGL Global Gaming. “We are always focused on new ways to enhance the gaming experience, and improve the gamers’ lifestyle. Partnering with Big Stage to bring this option to the Conan community and gamers everywhere is an innovative way to add another layer of fun and interaction.”
The massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is based on the world and works of acclaimed author Robert E. Howard. In Age of Conan, players live, fight, and explore the dark and brutal world of King Conan. Age of Conan is the winner of multiple industry awards including 'Best Online Game' at E3 and the Games Convention, and was the 3rd bestselling PC game in the US last year, according to NPD sales data.
“Age of Conan is a beloved title with a highly devoted player base, so Funcom is pleased to be working with GGL Global Gaming and Big Stage Entertainment to offer fans a whole new way to personalize their profiles and messaging,” said Morten Larssen, Funcom vice president of Sales and Marketing. “We expect that not only will the current fans of Age of Conan love to put themselves into content featuring the game’s characters, but that fans of the Conan character and Robert E. Howards universe will do the same.”
About Big Stage Entertainment, Inc.
Big Stage Entertainment, Inc. is a media technology company that enables the projection of self into digital life. With Big Stage Entertainment products and services, consumers can create a photorealistic, 3-D, animated @ctor of themselves to insert into digital media including video games, video clips and still images, as well as to represent themselves in online communities. Through its PortableYou program, Big Stage Entertainment enables third parties to seamlessly integrate its 3-D facial modeling system into video games, virtual worlds, Web sites, mobile apps, kiosk-based systems and more to personalize everything from entertainment to communications. At BigStage.com, anyone can generate a free, animated 3-D @ctor from a few digital photos and save it to use in any Big Stage-enabled media. Headquartered in South Pasadena, CA, Big Stage Entertainment investors include Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures and Tech Coast Angels. For more information, please visit www.bigstage.com.
About GGL Global Gaming
GGL Global Gaming is an online gaming network providing millions of gaming fans with a unique social/interactive platform where they can connect, compete & manage their gaming lives across hundreds of game titles on all game platforms. Founded by gaming fanatics and lead by a collection of gaming insiders, GGL works in partnership with leading game publishers and developers to provide users with access to game play data and statistics related to their own personal gaming experiences. With 2.5 million registered gamers and more than 20 million monthly unique users across their properties, GGL has been a major part of the growth of the video gaming industry and culture since the company's launch in 2003.
About Funcom
Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC, consoles and mobile platforms. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Recent titles include 'The Longest Journey', 'Anarchy Online' and 'Dreamfall: The Longest Journey'. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. Funcom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.
About Conan Properties International
Conan Properties International LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradox Entertainment Inc., controls rights to Conan, many associated characters and the Hyborian world, as created by Robert E. Howard and various rights expanded upon by many acclaimed authors and artists. Many consider Conan the world's best-known fantasy character. For more information about Conan Properties International LLC, visit www.conan.com. For information about Paradox Entertainment Inc., visit www.paradox-entertainment.com.
Legal Disclaimer: @ctor, BackStage, iStage and PortableYou are trademarks or registered trademarks of Big Stage Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners
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