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Warner Bros Buys Monolith Productions

Posted by simoniker on from the matricular dept.

NeoCode writes "Gamespot is reporting that Warner Bros has bought the developer Monolith Productions. Monolith, in the past, has produced games like Tron 2.0, No One Lives Forever 1 and 2, Aliens vs. Predator 2 and Blood 1 and 2. Currently, Monolith is working on The Matrix Online (aka MxO), the WB-produced, Sega-published MMORPG which is undergoing Beta testing right now." We've previously reported on current WB game boss Jason Hall, who was formerly the CEO and co-founder of Monolith.

19 comments

  1. Whew... by suyashs · · Score: 0, Troll

    I thought at first that WB had acquired Monolithsoft!

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    http://chrono.posterous.com/
    1. Re:Whew... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Modding idiots! The above message is correct! WB has acquired Monolith but MonolithSoft is a totally different company! Monolithsoft are the creators or Xenosaga etc., and both companies have similar names! Do your research before modding!!!

  2. They will sell them... by JVert · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Soon to be parted again 9 months after Matrix online goes bust.
    By the time it comes out people will be more interested in I robot then Matrix.

    No offense to the Matrix franchise. But they milked it like mad, and its not even the fact that they exausted it, but that was along time ago and nobody is really talking about the Matrix anymore. If it was just a WB tv show people would stay interested.

    But who's gonna pick Matrix online over World of warcraft?

    1. Re:They will sell them... by Talrias · · Score: 0

      World of Warcraft does not have much in the way of player-vs.-player (only limited opt-in between the two different sides), while the Matrix Online promises a lot more. To quote from the respective FAQs:

      (WoW) What type of PvP will you offer?

      We know that the player vs. player (PvP) option is very important to many gamers. Therefore, we plan to incorporate a form of player conflict into the World of Warcraft. However, players who do not wish to be participate in PvP combat will not be required to do so. The PvP system will be incorporated in a consensual way that will be fun for those who wish to take part in this form of combat. Announcements regarding PvP options in the World of Warcraft will be announced in the months ahead.

      (MXO) Is the game only for players to play against other players (PvP)?

      The Matrix Online includes PvP, for players who choose to play against other players, but there are plenty of computer-controlled characters in the missions to fight against as well. Player-vs.-player is a particularly intense style of gameplay. However, unlike some games, you needn't play PVP exclusively. You can choose to alternate between fighting other players or taking missions against non-player characters.

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    2. Re:They will sell them... by realdpk · · Score: 1

      Sounds the same to me. MXO is opt-in, too.

  3. makes sense. by N5 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Since they bought the developer, WB will have a far greater control of content going from IP owner to studio owner.

    It's also a great investment on their part. Not only are they a great developer, but they will now have a real studio to make games. Why licence your movie IP to EA or Acclaim, ect. and hope for the best when you can control the purse strings of the studio making it?

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    John 3:16 - The easiest way to a BETTER YOU.
    1. Re:makes sense. by cujo_1111 · · Score: 1

      But it could also make for bad decisions as companies like to put 'Yes men' in charge of their subsidiaries.

      Having independent companies licensing IP means they have to work harder to make a great game to make sure that 1) the game makes them money and 2) they get more business from WB.

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      If I point out that you are incorrect, making me a foe does not make you any more correct.
    2. Re:makes sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not exactly the way it works.

      Traditionally, studios who license content have not cared greatly about the quality of a game; it's not their core business and until recently gamers have not represented a large enough demographic to make brand dilution a concern if the game is terrible. As long as they make some money up front in licensing fees and command a reasonable royalty rate, studios have so far been pretty willing to tolerate poor quality games. Why should they care if a bunch of nerds think the game sucks, they've made their money and the developer gets all of the bad press anyways! With this setup, developers who work on licensed content are only incented to work as little as possible and still turn a profit. Since the developers don't really care about brand dilution, they can make a minimal effort while spending as little money as possibly, ride the hype, sell a bunch of copies initially, and then cut and run. Your assertion that independant companies have to work harder doesn't really play out in reality, as they currently have companies like WB over a barrel. I mean, who else is going to make your Harry Potter game, WB? You gonna do it yourself?

      The market landscape has changed considerably in recent years, though. Gamers represent the fastest growing entertainment demographic currently, and companies like WB are starting to realize that a bad game can really dilute a brand. Witness Enter the Matrix, Shiny's turd of a game (not Monolith...) and the goodwill spurned there. WB are taking steps to prevent this from happening again. Now when they go to negotiate a franchise license, WB is no longer at an inherent disadvantage, because they can just do it in house if they want. Plus, now Monolith is in a position to be truly competitive with the big PC developers, as WB brings an awful lot of resources to the relationship.

      As for your worry about the 'yes men' in charge, I wouldn't be too concerned. Jason Hall, who was founder and CEO of Monolith, is in charge of the WB interactive entertainment division. I think he knows more than your average suit about the video games industry, and I doubt that he'd let WB wreck his baby. ;)

  4. Re:They will sell them... AO anyone? by WarlockD · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The same people who pick up other technology based games. There is a severe lack of games that are NOT Fantasy based. In fact I am damn sick of swords and sorcerers, I want a gun for a change.

  5. Re:They will sell them... AO anyone? by JVert · · Score: 1

    I was gonna mention AO. I can't argue against free leets.

  6. Re:They will sell them... AO anyone? by WarlockD · · Score: 1

    No joke. Though Matrix Online DOES look intresting. Proberly not enough for me to switch though:P

  7. Re:They will sell them... AO anyone? by Maserati · · Score: 1

    Agreed. My first reaction to the Matrix MMO was "cool ! can I be the operator ? No ? Awww..." Still, a three-faction setup is a good, basic starting point for an MMO. EVE went with five races and innumerable factions, guaranteeing chaos. I'm going to give MatrixOnline a shot, but I'm also ready to bail at the first sign of general suckage, random nerfing, features on the box being introduced in patches, or factions filled with tools.

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    Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
  8. They know their stuff... by JeFurry · · Score: 1

    It'll be interesting to see if Monolith get hold of any of the game rights for some of Warner's other films. What other films has Warner produced lately which might benefit from a decent, respectful game treatment?

    There are many game studios who chuck out any old rubbish, and sometimes it breaks the geeky little hearts of fans of the source material ("Reign Of Fire" comes to mind - looked like a dragon, sounded like a dragon, steered like a cow). These people, though, seem to know what they're talking about and produce the sorts of games that we want to see. The sales haven't been as impressive as they should have been given the quality of the products. Have they actually produced anything which *wasn't* good?

    Monolith's "Tron 2.0" was one of the most perfect film-based games I've ever played - any fan of the film should check it out (heck, any /. geek should!). It was immersive, imaginative, captured the unique look, sounds and feel of the film *perfectly*... all in all it was a damn fine thing. "No-One Lives Forever" was OK visually, but had a unique quirky style and humour which raised it above some competitors. Even their Anime/Mecha game, "Shogo: Mobile Armour Division" was an excellent piece of work despite its limited commercial response.

    This positive track record makes me cautiously optimistic about The Matrix Online. It's a universe I want to play in, and Monolith have made others that I loved: I hope they'll do it again.

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    1. Re:They know their stuff... by El_Zendor · · Score: 1

      You forgot to mention 'Sanity' :)

  9. Darn by TheLink · · Score: 1

    Was hoping that the next AvP game be done on a better game engine. The engine AVP2 used sucked - it was pretty slow for the quality of graphics.

    Also if it's on something like the Quake 3, DOOM3 engine or Unreal engines, it'll probably be easier to mod and there'll be more fun mods.

    AvP is a great franchise. Though it's not quite Star Wars, there's plenty of potential.

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    1. Re:Darn by ribond · · Score: 0

      Monolith has it's own game engine (called LithTech) that they've been licensing (or trying to license) to other folks..

      http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/resources/lit htech/tutorials/lithtech_primer.shtml/

    2. Re:Darn by TheLink · · Score: 1

      I know. If it hasn't improved much since AvP2, it sucks. OK it wasn't totally horrible, but I've run AvP2, RtCW, JKII on my hardware and AvP2 sucks in comparison. That said, Halo seems even slower for some reason.

      The doom3 engine sounds like it'll be well suited for an AvP game. With some imagination and talent, you'd have something that'll keep hundreds of thousands up at night...

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  10. Sanity by JeFurry · · Score: 1

    I'd not come across that one before. I hunted down a preview here.

    They don't seem to know quite how to classify it, but it seems to have a similarly quirky nature to some of their other games. Unfortunately, its official site appears to have been closed down. Was the game ever released?

    It sounds fascinating, and I might go hunt for more about it. Have you played it? How would you describe it?

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    -- What goes up must come down. Ask any SysAdmin.
  11. AvP is a Fox property... by LordZardoz · · Score: 1

    While Fox may have been ok with Monolith developing this game, I dont think they would care to let Warner have any piece of that bit of IP.

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