Sidhe Win PSP Research Grant
Things seem to be going well for Sidhe, who this week announced they have won a New Zealand government research grant to aid them in developing games for Sony’s upcoming PlaystationT Portable (PSP) handheld. Technical director Tyrone McAuley said the funding from Technology NZ would allow Sidhe to accelerate their research program for the PSP, which is due for release this year. Full press release follows.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wellington, NZ - February 20, 2004 - Game development studio Sidhe
Interactive announced today it has secured a government research grant from
Technology New Zealand to assist in developing for upcoming handheld gaming
device, the Sony PlayStationT Portable (PSP).
Tyrone McAuley, Technical Director at Sidhe, commented, “The Technology NZ
funding complements our own significant investment, allowing us to
accelerate our research programme for this exciting new platform”.
Industry analysts are predicting a strong debut for the PlayStationT
Portable gaming platform, which Sony themselves are promoting as “the
Walkman of the 21st Century”.
“Tech NZ been proud to support Sidhe Interactive as a strong technology
innovator”, said Richard Hall, Investment Manager at Technology NZ. “We see
great potential in the videogame sector as part of New Zealand’s
strengthening creative digital industry.”
The Sony PlayStationT Portable is expected for worldwide release by Sony
Computer Entertainment in late 2004.
Sidhe Interactive develops games for the PC, Sony PlayStationT, Sony
PlayStationT 2, Sony PlayStation PortableT and Microsoft XboxT. You can find
out more about Sidhe Interactive online at http://www.sidheinteractive.com.
posted by monty · at 9:43 pm · filed under News
Anyone have an idea how big this grant is? It’d be nice to know exactly how much NZ government money goes into stuff like this. I’m sure the public have a right to know. Does it exceed what a developer could afford to invest in R&D themselves?