Namco unveils Axis

French firm Studio Canal and Namco have officially announced a joint multiformat entertainment project titled Axis. Studio Canal, Namco, and Chaman Productions, which was founded by former Psygnosis France team members, will produce a CG film titled Axis and a related action-adventure game for the Sony PlayStation 2. The film will follow the adventures of a little girl named Kaena, who resides in a village in the clouds. Unknown forces have recently devastated her village, which is located in the general world of Axis, and Kaena sets out to save her village and discover what exists beyond the clouds.

Specific details regarding the PlayStation 2 game is scarce at this time, but it is known that the game will share the film's story and some of its characters, and that it will have some level of Internet functionality in its gameplay. Whether Kaena will be the lead characters in the game, which is being co-developed by Namco and Charman Productions, is not known at this time. Graphically, the companies hope to create a game that closely mimics the visual quality of the CG film.

The Axis film project will be complete by March 2002, with the worldwide release following later in the year. The game's release will coincide with the launch of the film. GameSpot will have more on Axis the film and Axis the game in the coming weeks.