Kuma Games, a leading game publisher and developer specializing in high-quality episodic games, announced today the result of their second partnership with the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab - a project entitled "Leaving the Game" - presented as part of this month’s AFI DigiFest 2007. In collaboration with other technology and design innovators, Kuma has developed a prototype that leverages the video game engine to create dynamic storytelling, delivering a customized movie-like experience in real-time to your game console or PC.  This groundbreaking advancement offers unparalleled opportunities to provide personalized content and precisely targeted advertising.

This marks the second collaboration between the AFI Digital Content Lab and Kuma Games.  In 2006, Kuma’s involvement led to a successful partnership with The History Channel® to develop an online video game companion to The History Channel series "Shootout!"  The team behind this year’s "Leaving the Game" machinma project includes representatives from IBM, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, Short Fuze Entertainment, Method, Stage 9, Dogma Designs, Furnace Media and Georgia Institute of Technology.

"Like the AFI Digital Content Lab, we are committed to driving entertainment innovation," said Keith Halper, CEO, Kuma Games.  "’Leaving the Game’ uses existing, widely disseminated technology to tell stories in a way which is simply impossible in the linear formats that dominate traditional and digital media today.  We don’t expect real-time renders like ’Leaving the Game’ to replace traditional entertainment - rather, we’re here to demonstrate how entertainers should expand creative models, not just business models, as they embrace new technology."

"The AFI Digital Content Lab has great hopes for the future of the ’Leaving the Game’ machinima prototype," said Suzanne Stefanac, director, AFI Digital Content Lab.  "All of the collaborators on this project brought remarkable talent and vision to the table, but it would have remained little more than a good idea without Kuma’s dedication and ability to build to both the broadband and game console platforms. We couldn’t be more pleased."

AFI DigiFest, produced by the AFI Digital Content Lab, showcased the best new digital and interactive content created for television, mobile devices, games and broadband. AFI Digital Content Lab is a collaborative production workshop that pairs television and content companies with technology and design innovators to prototype next-generation interactive applications.  For more information, visit www.AFI.com.