EEG News

MS Nears Halo Movie Deal

I work as the Web editor for Technology Review, and, as you might imagine, there is little call for my expertise in digital entertainment. That's not really what we do here. Every once in awhile, though, I do get called to duty. Last week, the deputy editor and I had a long discussion about Halo 2, and its import to Microsoft.

It's a subject I've long championed, because I believe this franchise is the lynchpin to their digital home move, particularly since its this franchise that will make people go out and buy the next Xbox 360 -- the center piece of Microsoft's digital living room.

I bring that up so that I we can talk about the news that Microsoft is nearing a deal to sell the movie rights to its Halo franchise. Apparently, negotiations hit a snag because the company wanted to maintain creative input (which is a no-brainer, since any misstep could kill the franchise, and set its move into the home back some ways).

From the story:

Represented by Creative Artists Agency, Microsoft sought an unusually high upfront payment of $10 million plus 15 percent of initial gross box office sales, which led several studios to drop out of talks, according to sources near the deal-making.

Sin City to Silver Screen

It's a little bit off-topic here in the land of electronic gaming, but it's hard to skip over: the cult sensation graphic novel Sin City has just hit the big screen -- and Wired News has a look at the graphics used in the film.

My buddy Austin was the first to turn me on to Sin City, and I'm anxious to see how this translates. The hype reminds me of the original Batman movie (uh, not the original -- the first Michael Keaton film). The stylized glitz felt like some other-worldly trip.

This is clearly going to deliver the same experience (with the addition of sex and violence) -- but set in a world eerily familar to gamers.

PSP Tickles Studios' Fancy

I'm trying not to get overly excited about Disney's announcement that it will be selling movies formatted for the Sony PSP, because we've lived through this before. Back in the last 90s, when the MP3 format was quickly taking the digerati by storm, there would be flurries of announcements discussing the impending deals with record labels that would flood the market with digital music.

Of course, almost none of that panned out. Record companies, right or wrong, were concerned that they would undercut their own CD market with digital goods.

This, however, could be different simply because the DVD market is already saturated with films -- so putting out specifically optimized disks (albeit with digital works) is really just an extension of an already existing business model. The PSP will ship with a copy of Spider-Man 2. (Ed note: How freakin' cool is that?)

Not surprisingly, as the Cnet article points out, music (or a lack thereof) continues to be a sticking point for the device.

Eastwood to Voice Dirty Harry in Game

Just a few days after sweeping almost all of the important Oscar categories (re: the ones I care about) -- with the exception of Best Actor -- Clint Eastwood's production company announced that he would voice Dirty Harry Callahan for the Dirty Harry video game, according to this Variety story.

The game will include characters and settings from the five-film franchise, which began with "Dirty Harry" in 1971 and ended with "The Dead Pool" in 1988. But the storyline will be original.

It's funny that this comes up now (but actually it makes a lot of sense considering the publicity Eastwood is getting). My writing partner, his girlfriend, and I were discussing the merits of Eastwood, and how in his later years, he's made the types of films that convey a certain gritty reality (as real as the movies can portray that) with The Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby (which I think is The Unforgiven for boxing),

Now, I'm anxious to see if he can translate the story telling from his later film making years into a realistic, morality tale where there are no heroes and villains.

Thoughts on Games & L&O:SVU

Cnet's David Becker has a nice, long story that traces the political landscape forged between game developers and government officials. It's an interesting -- albeit depressing -- piece, because it does shed light on the absolute polarization of this issue.

This is a good time to discuss a television show -- maybe my favorite show -- which did a disservice to the issue. A few weeks back, Law & Order: SVU that featured two people running down a prostitute with their car, and then killing her with, I believe, a shoe. It was the typical violent death beginning that sets the show in motion.

The backdrop for the plot, though, was a game company which made a Grand Theft Auto type series. Throughout the show, they dragged developers, players, and programmers in and out of the interrogation room -- essentially blaming everyone involved.

I sat watching the program, and couldn't help but think it was exactly this type of thinking that must go on across the country (although I realize it's silly to put too much stock into a TV show). Something happens -- it involves games, or whatever other youth culture -- and from that comes a litany of accusations.

Game Makers Shy Away from Hollywood

The New York Times has a good piece today about the fickle relationship between Hollywood and game publishers.

It's informative, but the premise is a no-brainer: Big films don't always make big games, and that means publishers are backing away from high-priced licensing fees. The reason, as I've discussed before: great movies rarely make for great games.

It's interesting, though, that we're reaching a saturation point (or maybe even a tipping point) where game developers are beginning to see "potential" in certain movies. I'm not sure what that would be (as I'm just a lowly writer), but I assume it would the ability to parse out a nugget of the film that:

• Captures the spirit of the movie
• Puts players in control of the action, which is different than the movie
• Emphasizes game play over cinematic qualities

I know Henry Jenkins, from the MIT Comparative Media Department, has worked with game developers on story plots and structures, and that -- along with other endeavors -- have probably helped developers spot the kernel of an interactive storyline.

EA, WB Announce Batman Begins Video Game Cast

Electronic Arts is at it again, announcing a banner cast for the new Batman Begins video game, which will go along with the Warner Bros. movie of the same name.

The cast will include:

• Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman)
• Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth)
• Liam Neeson (Henri Ducard)
• Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes)
• Cillian Murphy (Dr. Jonathan Crane)
• Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone)
• Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox)

I watched the trailer over at iFilms today, and frankly, it looks to get back to the sinister roots that the series was built upon (as opposed to the fast food approved later films). I'm anxious to see how well the franchise is pulled off with the game.

NY Times: Media Companies Eyeing Game, Movie, TV Partnerships

The New York Times has a story today about media conglomerates renewed efforts to bring the movie, television, and video game businesses under on umbrella, ostensibly making it much easier to create cross-platform licenses.

The main business thinking -- and it's one that makes sense on the surface -- is that overall prices would be driven down for creating a single property is actors could be locked down, productions could be coordinated, and marketing efforts could be combined.

Of course, this throws aside the massive problems Time Warner and America Online have had integrating their two disparate business units (old media and new media, for lack of better terms).

To completely pull this off, there would almost need to be a re-envisioning of how media properties were put together -- and it would require each group to not be constrained by the limitations of the other media.

For instance, time lines in story telling would need to be flexible enough to allow each narrative to unfold -- but they would have to be cohesive enough so as not to drive hard core fans away. And while linear story telling works well in television and film, the games would need to be open-ended in terms of use (and likely far more limited in scope).

Most importantly, though, the production cycles for each medium are very different. While television schedules are weekly, games are generally finished "when they are finished" -- a mantra that would likely have Hollywood marketers jumping out of windows.

Louisiana Wants to Create Integrated Studios

The Associated Press has a good story about Louisiana's attempt to integrate the movie, video game, and digital production industries in an attempt to grow the state's entertainment industry.

Clearly, this has already happened in places such as New York, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, but there hasn't been many other major pushes when it comes to integrated media. However, if it's done well, setting up a closely tied community of specialists would give studios looking to make cross-platform products something to think about when they start development.

An interesting side note is that the development of this product might very well help transform some of the universities, since highly skilled workers will be hard to come by unless they are home grown.

From the story:

But game companies will only come if Louisiana can produce skilled programmers and designers for them to employ to capture the tax credits. And such training must come from the universities, said Stephen Beck, director of the LSU Laboratory for Creative Technologies.

The Wizard of Oz Goes to Small Screen

Uh, I'm not even sure how to feel about American McGee's re-envisioning of The Wizard of Oz, as both a video game and a movie. There is a long discussion going on at Slashdot on the subject.

Here are the facts from today's Hollywood Reporter story:

The relationship between Jerry Bruckheimer and video game creator American McGee grew even closer with the news that McGee will write the script for the film adaptation of his video game "Oz." Bruckheimer has the option for a trilogy of Walt Disney Co. films based on the property, which is a prequel to the classic L. Frank Baum book "The Wizard of Oz"

The script will follow the travels of a yound boy who is transported to a darker Oz, and must comes to grips with his powers as he ventures through the land. Tinkering with such a classic world, though, has stirred the emotions of many fans -- and it will be interesting to see how McGee and Bruckheimer pull this off.

Batman Begins Spawns Game Franchise

The Batman Begins hype has already started, even though the movie isn't slated to hit the big screen until next year. Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment inked a deal to develop a series of video games – the first of which will be released in conjunction with the movie – that follows the events of the upcoming movie, according to this GamesIndustry.com story.

This, maybe moreso than other game-movie franchises, will be an interesting tale to watch unfold. EA has pinned some of its hopes on a franchise that has been less-than-stellar in its last few movie iterations. (Not that a failure would substantially hurt the gaming giant.) However, if the movie is a flop, it could hurt future sales of the game franchise.

Of course, we may find that neither property substantially affects the marketability of the other. A solid game could still sell, even if its sister property is getting panned in the press.

Maybe the most important business component, though, will be the development process between two industry heavyweights – as EA and Warner Bros. will certainly cross swords over creative control and storyline (which are movie centric) versus game play (which is game centric).

Doom Movie in Pre-Production

Doom, the movie, has gone into pre-production, according to this nugget over at the Internet Movie Database. Its tentative release date is August 2005.

Dwayne Johnson (The Rock to World Wrestling Entertainment fans) – who is penned in to star in the game-to-big screen adaptation of Spy Hunter – will also appear as Sarge, the battle-hardened leader of the Space Marines.

Now that pre-production has started, expect the rumors and gossip mill to kick into high gear, despite the secrecy that id Software and its founder John Carmack blanket over projects. Already, snippets of information have leaked out.

Of DOOM and Movies

HomeLAN Fed has an interview with Doom movie scriptwriter Dave Callaham, which is currently in production over in Prague and set for a Fall 2005 release.

It's interesting that a movie based onDoom, the seminal first-person shooter that ushered in the age of network gaming, has already started generating heat in the player community. After all, its creator – John Carmack – has repeatedly expressed his contempt for any plotlines in his game.

Strangely, though, it may be the utter lack of storyline that helps turn this project into a successful movie. There are no pre-written rules or existing story structures to limit the filmmakers – other than one man must stand against the invading hordes from Hell. Make a simple change from man to woman (Sigourney Weaver) and hell hordes to aliens ("Aliens") and you have yourself a pretty decent franchise (if we can all agree that "Aliens 3" never happened. Sorry Roc.)

Here's a quick clip from the article:

(T)he Space Marine to be played by Karl Urban (best know as Eomer in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), is stationed along with his unit in a research base on an alien planet...In the movie he is reunited with his sister, a scientist on the based named Samantha (to be played by Die Another Day villainess Rosamund Pike).

They were separated after an accident that killed their parents…However, strange things are afoot on the base as alien monsters begin to appear and both brother and sister have to put aside their differences in order to survive.

The Strangerhood Web Series Debuts

Rooster Teeth Productions, the team behind the popular Red vs. Blue machinima series, has released The Strangerhood, a new comedy series developed using game technology from Electronic Arts' The Sims 2.

Much like a movie or television program, the group uses a video game engine (instead of live actors and cameras) to render different shots, which are then recorded and used as the storytelling vehicle for the show. According to the Slashdot crowd, the filmmakers actually play the game, recording their movements to create a narrative.

There is, of course, a long discussion thread over at Slashdot detailing some of the finer points of Rooster Teeth Productions.

Heroes Film Festival Winners Announced

NCSoft and Cryptic Studios announced the winners of its City of Heroes film festival, which challenged players to make a three minute film using in-game characters and other collateral.

The Doom of Doctor Death, created by Mike D'Anna, took the prize for Best Action; and Brian Shapiro's Sometimes the Hero won for Best Comedy.

“All of the players who provided entries to this contest demonstrated amazing creativity and enthusiasm for City of Heroes,” said Jack Emmert, creative director at Cryptic Studios. “I am very appreciative of all the hard work and energy our players put into their films. The entries were all so strong, but we believe the winners have hit the right chords and their films reflect the best that City of Heroes has to offer every player.”

The winners will have their storylines commemorated in a special edition of the Heroes comic book.

Singleton Signs on to South Central Game

In a move that is sure to raise some eyebrows, Paramount Pictures announced it would acquire the rights to Midway Games' Fear and Respect, an action-adventure game set in South Central, Los Angeles.

Adding to the deal, writer/director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood) is currently collaborating with Midway Games in the development process.

The game, slated for release on both the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation2 at the end of 2005, follows the life of a young man growing up in South Central. Much like many Star Wars games that allow characters to gravitate towards the light or dark side of the Force, players must chose between intimidating those around them to survive or earning the respect of the community through less forceful means.

Evil Tops Box Office

It's appropriate to note that just a few days after writing about the tortured relationship between Hollywood and video game companies that the number one movie in the country is Resident Evil: Apocalypse, the sequel to 2002's Resident Evil which was a movie adaptation of the popular – you guessed it -- Resident Evil video game franchise.

From an economic viewpoint, it's interesting that the second movie even got made. The original cost $33 million to produce and only brought in $39 million domestically (along with another $20 million worldwide). Those aren't the type of overwhelming numbers that convinced me there would be a sequel.

However, the first movie did a nice job of translating the game into an action movie. There was little backstory to drag out the film, and there were some genuinely wicked scenes (like the elevator scene near the beginning). All in all, it was what Tomb Raider the movie should have been -- a high-flying romp through fantasy land with an all-powerful (and extremely attractive) lead who, at the end of the day, would shoot you just as quick as she'd help you.

Hollywood and Game Economics Don't Converge

AUSTIN, Texas -- It's nice to know that I've not completely lost my mind when it comes to the issues facing the convergence of the video game and movie industries. Keith Boesky, the former president of Eidos who ushered Lara Croft off the console and to the big screen, gave a interesting talk about convergence economics.

I knew I was in the right place when he said, "Video games tend to not be that translatable because they all tell essentially the same story." That story, of course, is no story at all. It's an interactive medium, and not one that translates into film.

But there are bigger problems going on than just issues of interactivity versus passivity. Bigger problems, at least, if you're looking to make a profit on your product.

The movie and games audiences aren't the same, Boesky said. The Tomb Raider console audience was 30-40 percent female, while the Tomb Raider movies audiences were 80-90 percent female. In other words, the video game crossed over in appeal, while the movie didn't.

This makes it difficult to license properties because a successful game (or movie) isn't guaranteed to reap big profits in other media.

There's the rub, though. Console game development costs roughly $7 million these days, and will likely climb into the $10-12 million range with next-generation console game development. That rising cost means companies will need to sell between three and five million units just to break even.

With that benchmark, there are roughly 30 games on the market right now that have either passed the three million mark or are approaching that mark.

Those economics, then, make it imperative that game companies find other licensing opportunities to defray the cost, while negotiating the reality that successful games rarely make successful movies.

NCSoft Lauches Game Film Festival

NCSoft announced its first City of Heroes film festival, where players will have the opportunity to create short films with their character as the star.

It's a unique opportunity for the online game developer to push all its entire Heroes brand with one competition, while also tapping into the natural creativity that comes with gaming. After all, players who invest countless hours in character development are anxious to show off all of their skills.

Contest winners, though, don't just get a pat on the back. They will also see their character included in storylines. Take a peek:

The winners of each category will receive a Sony DVD Handycam Camcorder, have their film included in the Special DVD Edition of City of Heroes being released during this year’s holiday season, and the winner’s City of Heroes character will be featured in an upcoming issue of the City of Heroes monthly comic book. Winners of the contest will be announced no later than Sept. 22.

Paramount, Midway Deal Changes Entertainment Landscape

It's been all over the trades for the last 24 hours, but it's still worth mentioning that Paramount inked a deal with Midway Games for the rights to the game developers upcoming science-fiction action thriller Area 51, according to this Business Wire release.

The game returns X-Files star David Duchovney to his alien-hunting roots, as he voices Cole, a Hazardous Materials Division specialist called to the secret Air Force base Area 51 after a viral outbreak forces the base into automatic lockdown.

What's interesting here is that Christine-Forsyth Peters, one of the producers on How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, will now be working with Midway Games – presumably to develop a storyline from that game that would be appropriate for the big screen.

It's a great – if not slightly odd – move, getting a movie company involved in the mid to late stages of development; however, it does create the opportunity for two events to happen: it will help Paramount release a movie within a year of the game coming out (Area 51 is slated to hit stores next summer), and it allows filmmakers to get a first-hand view of what the actual game is about.

Of course, the deal could also end in unmitigated disaster. As with the AOL and Time Warner merger a few years back, it's going to be interesting to see which side ends up controlling the creative process from here on out. The two mediums rely on different components to make them great – games with interactivity and movies with drama – and keeping that straight has been an issue.

Money is always an issue with game development though, and Hollywood has proven better at deferring its costs with licensing deals and product sponsorships. If this partnership works, it's likely we'll see more movie companies moving to strike deals with big name game developers in the early stages of creation.

Theater Opens Doors to Gamers

A movie theater owner has found a new way to attract audiences: set up game tournaments on the big screen.

The Cinefour theaters in North Logan, Utah, worked with Microsoft to license the popular first-person shooter Halo, according to this story in The Herald Journal. The business then opened its doors to 60 gamers who competed against each other all night long.

The idea of melding video games and movie theaters isn't new. The folks at ESports Arena tried transforming an old cinema house into a virtual gaming Mecca. Unfortunately, the business never really got off the ground – thanks to a combination of too much money spend on the initial cost, trouble licensing games, and an idea a bit too far ahead of its time.

The North Logan experiment, though, could easily catch on. After all, movie houses surely face trouble during the times between summer blockbusters and winter family movies. It's not out of the realm of possibility to expect owners to seek out alternative revenue streams.

As you can imagine, the event has sparked quite a discussion over at Slashdot Games.

Kingsley Signs on to BloodRayne

Ben Kingsley will play evil vampire king Kagan, joining Terminator 3 actress Kristanna Loken in the big-screen adaptation of Majesco's game BloodRayne,

The film – which opens production on location in Romania next month – will be helmed and funded by Uwe Boll, who has raised $47 million through the German film fund Boll KG 4. He joins

Set in 18th century Romania, the plot follows Rayne (Loken) , who has a human mother and a vampire father who shunned her. She is struggling with her existence, but has managed to develop a rather serious chip on her shoulder when it comes to dad. Teaming with two vampire hunters, she sets out to destroy Kagan before he manipulates the earth into darkness, allowing the vampires forever.

If it sounds a little like the story behind Blade, well, you're probably just thinking too much. For those who can't wait for the movie, which doesn't yet have a release date, you can rest easy knowing that BloodRayne2 hits retail stores in October.

Video games are a hit and miss property when the properties are turned into films. The interactivity that makes action games so great can also be the reason that they fall short in the storytelling medium. For what it's worth, Boll seems to have a videogame/movie fetish, having directed House of the Dead, based on the Sega videogame, and Alone in the Dark, starring Christian Slater, Tara Reid and Stephen Dorff, based on the Atari game.

Movies and Games: The Odd Couple

BBC News has a good article on the perils of making movies into video games.

What caught my eye was the juxtaposition of a good movie turned into a terrible game (Enter the Matrix) and a bad movie turned into a good game (The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay).

I had a chance to review Enter the Matrix just before it came out, an exhilarating moment as a giant science-fiction geek. I dug both movies (the third hadn't ruined it yet), and couldn't wait to get my hands dirty in the matrix.

Instead, I rolled through most missions with little trouble and with a little help from the Internet, cracked the Easter eggs. Turns out, the game was more of a movie trailer than an action-adventure game.

That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable. I did find the 60 minutes or so of actual movie footage interesting, and I have to say, I liked the idea of playing ancillary characters moving along the same plot lines as the movie (which explained how Jada Pinkett-Smith kept saving the day).

But it would have been nice to have also faced a few challenges along the way.

Riddick, I'm guessing, will suffer no gigantic plot twists which force game makers to sacrifice play for Act 4. In fact:

In this case, the Riddick game bears no relationship to the film and was not intended to. Instead of regurgitating the movie plot, it is set in an earlier time, so is a prequel to both Chronicles and Pitch Black.

That makes it difficult to mess up because developers have a loyal, cultish franchise and the perfect video game hero in Vin Diesel (who happens to double as my girlfriend's perfect hero), and nothing to keep them from designing a game to be played – instead of watched.

Final Fantasy Movie Screens in Italy

Square Enix announced it would screen a direct-to-DVD film called Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (Japanese only) – which is a follow up to its Sony Playstation hit video game Final Fantasy VII – at the 61 annual Venice International Film Festival in Italy.

The film was created entirely with digital technologies, and will be shown as part of the Venezia Digitale, a newly formed section of the festival which showcases digital films that haven't been shown outside of the country where the film was made.

"We are honored to be a part of Venezia Digitale, this exciting new category that highlights the values of innovation and artistry of digital imagery," said director Tetsuya Nomura. "As we continually strive to create digital entertainment that pushes the boundaries of technology and art, we welcome the opportunity to become a part of the world cinema community through the Venice International Film Festival."

Season 2 of Machinima Cult Hit Goes on Sale

Well, the second season of Red vs. Blue, the wildly popular machinima story involving Halo avatars, is coming out on DVD.

I'm sure there are other people who have made these types of videos – please don't email me if you have – but this is clearly the ultimate phenomenon. These guys release a new 4-5 minute episode each week, and use video game animation to make their story come alive.

I'm just guessing, but I would imagine that they are giving Strongbad and Homestar Runner a, uh, run for its money.

How popular is it? I have no idea, hence the term wildly. I do know that there have been screenings of the first season here in Austin, and that they are selling the second season's DVD.

Halo Gets Big Screen Debut

Movie goers this weekend were treated to a full-length feature trailer of Halo 2, Microsoft's breakout game that pits Earth's last hope, Master Chief, against the Covenent forces out to destroy mankind.

In typical evil empire fashion, the Redmond software company spared no expense in promoting its new product hiring one of Hollywood's hottest production studios, The Ant Farm, to ready its game for the big screen.

The in-theater advertisements – blasted across the huge screen – is likely going to push Halo fever out of this world. (The game itself has already spawned a series of books, and pre-orders are likely going to set some type of record).

For those gamers living under a rock (or the shadow of Doom III's release), here is the overview from Microsoft:

Pushing the Xbox hardware to its very limits, Halo 2 will expand on everything that made the original game great, plus add a wealth of technological and gameplay advances.

Significantly improved graphics, enhanced artificial intelligence (AI), an advanced real-time lighting engine and destructible interactive environments are just a small part of Halo 2’s evolution of design and technology. Every improvement in Halo 2 is designed to take gameplay to a new level -- and in the end, to tell a more compelling story.

LAN Documentary Trailers Game Life

Video game documentaries now pop up online after most major tournaments, conventions, and LAN parties and MAGFest 2.0 is no different. The film will be coming out on DVD in the near future, but for now, anxious viewers can download the AVI files here at the convention's site.

The fan-run convention comes with standards operations: panels, game rooms, vendors, screening rooms, LAN tournaments, and a live concert. The stories that come out of these events, though, rely heavily on the characters who show up – and that can be a strange mix of interesting, and highly boring.

Gamer documentaries have expanded into the how-to realm as well. The Machinima folks are hosting a documentary on, uh, welll, the making of machinima movies. And some like Bang the Machine follow the arcade scene, which has similar undertones throughout the social landscape.

Of course, not every documentary is a flattering portrait of the gamer landscape. Back in March, I discussed a Swedish documentary that asserted gaming turns children into obese, violent critters.

Machinima Turns Guns Into Flowers

Fountainhead Entertainment has released "Anna", a movie that follows the life cycle of a flower. A blockbuster in the making, hardly. But what's special about "Anna" is that the entire movie was made using the software engine that powers Quake III, a first-person shooter video game.

This new filmmaking is called machinima, an emerging form of filmmaking where graphic artists manipulate video game software to create 3D-animated movies. Machinima has started popping up at film festivals, conventions, and online. Since the movies are digitally rendered, it's easy for people to download them directly.

While Anna is a silent film, directors have increasingly looked for voice actors and professional musicians to bring their creations to life. There's even an Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences.