Irene Chen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Friday 20 April 2007] Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Asia on April 19 signed with Actainment, a Taiwan-based games developer established six months ago, for the latter's assistance with the development of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) game Railfan Taiwan High-Speed Rail. This is the first time SCE has cooperated with Taiwan-based games developers, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Railfan is a train-driving simulation game which enables users to drive trains in environments including stations and scenery based on the real world, the sources indicated. Japan-based Ongakukan is the developer of the Railfan series and has developed versions for more than 70 railway systems around the world. In order to develop the Taiwan High-Speed Rail version of Railfan, SCE will have Actainment provide information on the railway system – including stations, scenery along the route, and scenic spots and renowned places near stations – as well as undertake art design, animation processing, and user interface design, the sources indicated. While Ongakukan is still responsible for developing the game, Actainment's participation marks progress for Taiwan's games development industry, the sources pointed out. Railfan Taiwan High-Speed Rail is scheduled to launch in July-August of 2007, the sources noted.
