Cubic Motion hires ex-Bizarre man

Game animation specialist Cubic Motion has hired David Barton as its new producer, the firm has said.

Barton had been employed at Liverpool studio Bizarre Creations before its prepared closure last week. He worked at the firm as UI and presentation producer.

The appointment comes soon after Gareth Wilson, the former game design manager at Bizarre, was named as the new hire for Sheffield studio Sumo Digital.

The many talented individuals at Bizarre are already being snaffled by fellow UK studios.

Barton spent 8 years with Image Metrics before joining Bizarre, and in announcing his new role was unreserved in praise for Cubic Motion.

“We’re at a breakthrough point in video gaming where every developer can have access to great facial animation, whether we’re talking about stunning photo-real characters or highly stylized fun characters,” he said.

“In both cases, creating a compelling visual experience has to be an artist-driven process. Cubic is a truly unique service provider to the industry. Every pipeline is custom built, but put together in just a few days. The animation processes are completely unlike anything I’ve previously experienced – everything is designed purely to serve, rather than replace, the artist.

“The accelerated keyframe service in particular is a great example of what can be achieved even without performance capture, allowing studios to commission amazing animation with nothing more than an audio file.

“The biggest attraction to Cubic is the breakthrough in price and delivery speed – we can take world-class animation to projects which would have been unable to afford it in the past.”