Monolith Productions, Inc.

Overview

From the website:

Monolith Corporate Background

Founded in October 1994 and based in Kirkland, Washington, Monolith Productions, Inc., is one of the leading developer-founded and developer-centric publishers in the computer gaming community. Recognized for their stylish, high-energy approach to development, Monolith creates the content gamers want, often using their own proprietary technology, the LithTech 3D Engine.

Monolith's six founders envisioned a company aggressively focused on delivering exciting games, reflective of their own enthusiasm as gamers. Above all, Monolith emphasizes the importance of being active and involved in the gaming community at a grass roots level by creating a company that listens to gamers, focuses on creating edgy content and leads the field in hot new technologies.

Monolith first grabbed the attention of the gaming public with their controversial shooter Blood, which was published by GT Interactive and lived up to its gory name. By 1998, Monolith graduated to self-publishing status, bringing gamers the equally distinctive Get Medieval, Rage of Mages and the critically acclaimed Shogo: Mobile Armor Division, which married uncompromising first-person shooter gameplay with the stylized flair of the Japanese anime genre.

The company's catalogue is expanding and new licensing partnerships continue to be forged. A growing acquisitions program will see Monolith publish titles from like-minded developers worldwide, while the LithTech 3D Engine sets industry standards for end-user support as it is licensed to other developers.

From game designers to animators, programmers and even the company CEO, Monolith personnel are active and vocal in the online gaming community by posting on Web sites, answering questions and soliciting feedback for current and future projects. With a commitment to communication, and a drive to create products that get players talking, Monolith is well positioned to remain head and shoulders above the generic gaming mainstream.

Proprietary Technologies

While still developers at Edmark, Monolith's founders decided to enter into the fiercely competitive European 'demo' scene with a Windows-based programming showcase that demonstrated the kind of gaming graphics that, at the time, were believed possible only by using DOS. This demo caught the eye of Microsoft Corporation, with whom the Monolith founders worked on an early version of what is now the LithTech 3D Engine. To this day, the company has retained strong links with Microsoft, and is one of the first companies to incorporate Microsoft's API technology into a product, namely Shogo: Mobile Armor Division.

A uniquely modular engine, LithTech was designed for creating games in a variety of genres, each game having its own unique look and feel. It is currently being utilized by Monolith to produce top-notch products, and increasingly, is being licensed to other companies. Several titles using the LithTech 3D Engine have been published, including Blood 2 by GT Interactive. In 1999, Monolith will be announcing new licensing partners for the LithTech 3D Engine, which was recently enhanced by the incorporation of the Miles Sound System, RAD Technology's 3D audio technology.


Contributed by DarkTalon (137) on Jan 03, 2000.