Games, Movies Tie The Knot

Thanks to Wired News for their article discussing the continuing and increasing synergy between games and movies, as the piece starts: "Hollywood involvement has gone one of two ways: licensing a hit game franchise... for a big-screen adaptation, or incorporating Hollywood talent (writers, directors, actors) within a... game." The piece discusses Hollywood agencies like Endeavor, who "...worked with Vin Diesel in setting up his new game company, Tigon Games.", and has also arranged creative input behind the scenes: "Despite the objection of some game designers, agencies are cutting deals for writers to get involved in video games. In the case of Activision's World War II game, Call of Duty, Michael Schiffer was brought in to punch up the game characters' dialogue." The article concludes: "It looks like Hollywood and games are in this marriage for the long haul."

Comments

wopee (FP?)

[jermyjerm]

I'd rather there be more "synergy" between games and writers. No matter how cinematic a game is, it'll still suck if it's got a B-movie equivalent script (as most of them currently seem to).

Using Hollywod "superstars" in games

[Scorchio]

Bah, mod me -1, cynic, but I think this is the last thing games need at the moment.

We all know a major problem with the games industry at the moment is the lack of innovation - the reluctance of publishers to fund the long term development of a game that doesn't fit the tried and tested mold of a dozen other games. They can't afford to spend money on games that they can't guarantee will sell.

Tell these same publishers they need to divert many $$$ from the budget to secure an actor or actress for essentially a couple of hours in a sound studio and a signature allowing the use of their likeness, and I guarantee you they'll plump for a basic clone of whatever's in the top 10 that particular day. You could argue that the use of a popular celebrity would help any game sell, but I can't see that washing with those in control of the purse strings.

Re:Using Hollywod "superstars" in games

[MMaestro]

Too true. The video game industry, at least right now, is opting for the "big name" factor to push their games above the crowd rather than work on the gameplay or innovation factor. If Enter the Matrix wasn't based off the movies, didn't have the cutscenes with clips of the movie, and wasn't connected to Time Warner (who produced the game); people wouldn't even acknowledge its existance. Vice versa, a cult-like game like Ico or Dance Dance Revolution (before it finally hit mainstream) gets no love, no publicity, and no talk outside of certain groups.

Re:Using Hollywod "superstars" in games

[zenobr]

I agree to an extent... but, take GTA3 for example... This game in and of itself was brilliant and original and a blast to play. Then in addition to fantastic game design it got the voice acting support of Hollywood names (Michael Rappaport, Joe whatshisfacefromTheMatrix, etc), which made it a whole helluva lot better. Granted they didn't seem to really even use these as a selling point of the game but I remember the first time I played it and was showing it off to all my friends that was always one of the first things I showed 'em (after the hookers and beating random people on the street with a baseball bat).

Vice City on the other hand did advertise the names (and music) that were attached to it. Now would either or both of these games done just as well without the Hollywood influence... probably, but it may have taken longer for the mainstream folks to get over the lower quality of voice acting that the no names would have been more likely to provide.

That's my opinion anyway.

trollish comment

[theMerovingian]

If you are basing your video game on a movie, you spend lots of cashish on licensing the brand name. Thus, less money gets spent on development. They are relying on the FRANCHISE to sell the game, not the fun-factor or the mechanics of it. Can someone say Harry Potter?

I can't speak for everyone, but I can't think of one exceptional game based on a movie.

Hire creative people to make creative games, and only use movie rights to sell commodity crap like happy meals and automobiles.