Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Universal Interactive Studios, Inc (UIS) is a software development division of the Universal Studios New Media Group, and represents Universal Studio’s presence in the electronic entertainment industry.
UIS develops and creates ground breaking next generation entertainment software based on original concepts. UIS’s primary goal with each product it creates is to ensure a highly satisfying experience for the game player by focusing on superior gameplay. The company also strives to imbue its titles with Hollywood-quality production values and develops strong characters, environments and storylines that readily translate into other entertainment media in which Universal operates including motion pictures, television, music and recreation.
To date UIS has enjoed phenomenal success on PlayStation. The Crash Bandicoot Series has sold more than 5 million units worldwide and Distruptor, UIS’s original first-person shooter, has garnered critical acclaim among the gaming press and won the award for “Best First Person Shooter” from Ultra Game Players magazine.
Currently, UIS has several PlayStation projects under development, including Crash 3, Running Wild, a high-speed character based obstacle race that combines the control and speed of a racing game with the unique character and environmental elements of a platform game and Xena, Warrior Princess.
The Universal Studios New Media Group develops and promotes Universal’s properties for the global digital consumer market. Universal Studios is a unit of the Seagram Company Ltd., a global beverage and entertainment company.
UIS Key Players
Mark Cerney - President, Universal Interactive Studios -- Joined Atari’s coin-op group in 1983 where he served as game designer and project leader for Marble Madness. Mark then worked as an independent contractor for Sega, where he created coin-op game hardware. Sega asked him to come to Japan to develop consumer software for their 8-bit hardware and during a three year stint, he worked on the extreme high tech end of the 8-bit universe, creating software for the 3D glasses, gun and modem peripherals that sold in excess of half a million units.
In December 1989 Mark returned to California and founded the Sega Technical Institute (STI), a bilingual research and development group at Sega America. At STI, he lead the creation of Sonic II for Sega Genesis. In 1992 Mark joined start-up Crystal Dynamics as Chief Technologist.
In 1994 he started at Universal Interactive Studios as Vice President of Technology. He was recently promoted to President and is responsible for all aspects of game development for UIS’s entertainment products.
Michael John, Producer, Universal Interactive Studios -- Michael is a graduate from Occidental College in Los Angles and joined UIS in 1995 from Philips Media where he produced several titles under Philips Media’s Games Label.
