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Milestone:
videogames, innovation and quality
Milestone s.r.l. is the leading developer of interactive
entertainment software in Italy. It's a prestigious
role which the company has filled since the time
of its founding in 1996, in Milan - where the
company is still based - with the objectives of
producing innovations in the world of videogame
development and of pushing the standards of gaming
toward new horizons.
Milestone employs over 40 people, comprising programmers,
artists and managers, all of who are professionals
of great talent, with years of experience in the
field and passionately motivated towards their
work.
Looking to the present and seeing the future
Thanks to the know-how and the high-profile experience
matured during the development of preceding projects,
in September 2001 Milestone moved into the sector
of console gaming, becoming Official Developer
for Sony (PlayStation 2), Microsoft (Xbox) and
Nintendo (GameCube).
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Such
recognition is an integral part of the well-constructed
expansion strategy being elaborated by the Milestone management.
This strategy foresees a precise remodelling of the company's
structure in order to achieve increased market coverage,
working simultaneously in two directions:
·
In the short-term, a move from the development of single-platform
titles to multi-platform titles, at once creating versions
of the product in different formats, to be compatible with
both consoles and the PC;
· In the longer-term, progressing from the development
of one title at a time to the creation of several titles
in unison, in order to best exploit production efficiency.
The precise planning which will allow the company to achieve
such goals is a clear result of the constant attention the
management of Milestone gives to the maintenance of a dynamic
and flexible structure, always ready to take on and succeed
in the increasingly arduous challenges imposed by the video
game market, present and future alike.
Story of a passion for success
Milestone was born in 1996, thanks to the passionate efforts
of Antonio Farina, a manager of great experience in the
field and one of the founders of the interactive entertainment
industry in Italy. An obsessive desire for quality combined
with an elaborate attention to detail and an extreme sensibility
for game-play have always been the trademarks and philosophy
of the company.
These characteristics are clearly visible right from the
start. Screamer 2, an arcade-style driving game released
in 1996 on the Virgin label, was acclaimed by gamers worldwide
for it's immediate playability and spectacular graphics.
It also found unanimous favour with the gaming press.
In 1997 Milestone added to its success with the release
of Screamer Rally, an improved-upon version of the preceding
title with a distinctly rally flavour. The state of the
art graphics and playability immediately won public and
critical acclaim.
With the arrival of 1998 a new series commences: the start
of collaboration with Electronic Arts, who engage Milestone
in the realisation of the first chapter in a sequence of
motorbike simulations dedicated to the world of Superbikes,
and published by the prestigious EA Sports label. Once again
the result is astounding: Superbike World Championship,
a game which demonstrates the ability to combine a strongly
appealing visual impact, by now recognised as a characteristic
of all Milestone titles, with a realism and simulative depth
that all put together add up to a whole new genre. SBK World
Championship immediately becomes the new point of reference
in the sector of motorbike simulations and finds appreciation
by expert motorcycle enthusiasts and gaming fans in search
of immediate playability alike, thanks to an elevated system
of in-game help and a carefully balanced learning curve
so that instant enjoyment is guaranteed for the first-time
gamer and great satisfaction is assured for the most determined
expert. The enthusiastic comments of the international gaming
press underline the absolute quality of the product and
are testimony to the care and passion Milestone dedicated
to its realisation.
At the dawn of the new millennium Milestone succeeded in
an arduous feat, managing to improve upon the already excellent
SBK World Championship. Superbike 2000 brings all the excitement
of the Superbike championship to the PC, accompanied by
an unprecedented level of detail, thanks to its spectacular
graphics, which exploit the latest technology, and a refined
game physics model, which is even more detailed than that
of its predecessor. Once again the hard work of Team Milestone
wins the praise of the gaming press, gaining the game important
recognition and enviable ratings.
An update for the 2001 season, featuring numerous technical
innovations and improvements gives light, in the following
year, to the final chapter in the series: Superbike 2001.
This title remains to the present day without a doubt the
best and most complete motorcycle simulation on the market.
The collaboration with Infogrames, Europe's leading publisher,
has seen the arrival of Milestone in the sector of console
gaming with the creation of Racing Evoluzione (Apex in the
US) for MS Xbox. Despite the difficulties in approaching
a new market, Milestone maintained its high standard of
quality, passing the test and realizing a driving game that
"represents a new step in the world of arcade racers".
The innovative Dream Mode allows players to create their
own brand of sports car and lead their company towards success
in international competitions. Deep game play, stunning
graphics, taking advantage of the powerful Xbox graphic
chipset, together with straightforward playability, make
this game amazing both to watch and play, receiving praise
from both critics and players.
The end of 2002 has also seen Milestone joining Leader Group,
one of the most important actors on the Italian game industry
stage, and the birth of the partnership with Lago, prestigious
name in the publishing sector.
The highly rated series of titles, the notable organization
and a far-reaching planning ability have made Milestone
the leading company in Italy in the field of videogame development:
a solid organization, which can boast collaborations with
the world's top publishers and has been able to construct
and establish its notoriety at an international level. A
fame fully justified by the quality of the products and
the capacity for innovation, fuelled by the company's principles
of quality and excellence which drive all its projects,
present and future.
The basis of Milestone's success
Products that have been defined by the press as absolute
masterpieces, as with the Superbike series, are the result
of enormous effort on 3 levels: programming, graphics and
management.
The
production and refinement of software able to faithfully
reproduce the real physical laws which come into play in
extreme driving situations, the use of avant-garde graphics
technology, the experimentation of innovative hardware and
software solutions and the implementation of extremely convincing
artificial intelligence routines are all characteristics
that form the foundation of Milestone's titles. The astonishing
quantity of work required to realize all this is carried
out by a close-knit team of programmers, all highly experienced
professionals, strongly motivated and constantly in search
of perfection in the invention of new solutions which will
push the latest generation of hardware to it's ultimate
limits.
Another
distinctive characteristic of any Milestone product is the
sumptuous quality of the graphics, which are always of a
high visual impact. The team of artists, thanks to their
talent, passion and skill, has made it possible to construct
in detail models, environments, animation and scenery which
are both spectacular and involving, and that have amazed
and enchanted gamers and press alike the world over.
Supervising, directing and coordinating the work of such
high profile teams as these requires the constant attention
of the Milestone management, which counts on the experience
and authority of dedicated professionals able to quickly
respond to the necessities imposed by increasingly complex
and demanding products.
All this is thanks to a working philosophy that immerses
Milestone in a relaxed but hardworking atmosphere, which
stimulates each member of the company to give their best
in order to realise a common goal: the creation of successful,
top-quality videogames to be proud of. |
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