Kuma Games Teams Up With AFI To Develop New Approach To Dynamic Storytelling

In an interesting move, Kuma Games has teamed up with the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab for a project titled “Leaving The Game”. Kuma has developed a prototype that leverages the video game engine to create a new form of dynamic storytelling. This groundbreaking work will eventually deliver movie-like experiences to our PCs and game consoles. Unlike traditional movies, this form of entertainment will be more personalized. and also open up the door for highly targeted advertising. The full press release follows the break.

New York (November 19, 2007) – Kuma Games, a leading game publisher and developer specializing in high-quality episodic games, announced today the result of their second partnership with the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab – a project entitled “Leaving the Game” – presented as part of this month’s AFI DigiFest 2007. In collaboration with other technology and design innovators, Kuma has developed a prototype that leverages the video game engine to create dynamic storytelling, delivering a customized movie-like experience in real-time to your game console or PC. This groundbreaking advancement offers unparalleled opportunities to provide personalized content and precisely targeted advertising.

This marks the second collaboration between the AFI Digital Content Lab and Kuma Games. In 2006, Kuma’s involvement led to a successful partnership with The History Channel® to develop an online video game companion to The History Channel series “Shootout!” The team behind this year’s “Leaving the Game” machinma project includes representatives from IBM, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, Short Fuze Entertainment, Method, Stage 9, Dogma Designs, Furnace Media and Georgia Institute of Technology.

“Like the AFI Digital Content Lab, we are committed to driving entertainment innovation,” said Keith Halper, CEO, Kuma Games. “‘Leaving the Game’ uses existing, widely disseminated technology to tell stories in a way which is simply impossible in the linear formats that dominate traditional and digital media today. We don’t expect real-time renders like ‘Leaving the Game’ to replace traditional entertainment – rather, we’re here to demonstrate how entertainers should expand creative models, not just business models, as they embrace new technology.”

“The AFI Digital Content Lab has great hopes for the future of the ‘Leaving the Game’ machinima prototype,” said Suzanne Stefanac, director, AFI Digital Content Lab. “All of the collaborators on this project brought remarkable talent and vision to the table, but it would have remained little more than a good idea without Kuma’s dedication and ability to build to both the broadband and game console platforms. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

AFI DigiFest, produced by the AFI Digital Content Lab, showcased the best new digital and interactive content created for television, mobile devices, games and broadband. AFI Digital Content Lab is a collaborative production workshop that pairs television and content companies with technology and design innovators to prototype next-generation interactive applications. For more information, visit www.AFI.com.

About AFI FEST
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Celebrating its 21st year as a program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2007 presented by Audi will take place November 1-11, featuring international competitions of new films from emerging filmmakers, as well as global showcases of the latest work from great film masters and nightly red-carpet gala premieres. Kicking off the awards season each year, AFI FEST offers a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing appreciative audiences with a festive atmosphere and the very best of world film, right in the center of the film capital of the world.

About Kuma
KUMA, LLC. (www.kumagames.com) is the industry leader in the new market for Episodic Video Games – intense, up-to-the-minute 3D game experiences delivered to PCs in weekly episodes. Kuma’s network of free, ad-supported game series makes high-end game play accessible to mass market consumers. Each week, players’ PCs are updated with the latest “gameisode” from their favorite series inspired by just-released TV shows and films, real world news events and pop culture happenings. With over 100 gameisodes currently available in four titles, Kuma has an excess of two million users, with an additional 200,000 new players signing on each month. Kuma’s synergy with traditional TV programming — such as The History Channel® series Shootout! — makes television more dynamic and more relevant to a media and tech-savvy generation while presenting distinct marketing advantages for TV partners, advertisers, content owners and distributors. With an unprecedented level of user interactivity, Kuma represents a direct analog for television within video games.

Kuma Reality Games, headquartered in New York, NY, is a privately held company.