World Championship Snooker 2003 announced

UK-based Codemasters has today announced that it will release World Championship Snooker 2003 for the PS2, Xbox, and PC early next year. The game is being developed at Blade Interactive Studios by the same team that was responsible for the previous games in the series on the PlayStation and PS2.

Boasting a TV-style presentation, models of the sport's top players, and a new animation system, World Championship Snooker 2003 promises to be the first game in the series to feature looks that are on a par with its excellent physics engine. Blade Interactive has also developed a new complex artificial intelligence system using neural network techniques that may allow the game to replicate the very different playing styles of snooker professionals such as Stephen Hendry, Nigel Bond, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. In addition to snooker, the game will also allow players to participate in the far less time-consuming sports of nine-ball pool and English eight-ball pool.

World Championship Snooker 2003 is scheduled for release in Europe in the first quarter of 2003. Previous installments in the series haven't been released in North America, and Codemasters currently has no plans to buck the trend with the new edition, although the possibility hasn't been ruled out completely. We'll bring you more information on the game as it becomes available.