Co-opetition…
But do movies and games really have to be locked in a PvP deathmatch? What if they’re destined for co-op play instead?
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Doom) thinks that could be the way forward. “It’s inevitable that we’re going to figure out how to do synergy eventually,” he says, although he admits that the idea of developing stories across both mediums is ambitious.
“The problem is it’s very hard to predict when the script’s going to be ready, when you can make it, when the best release date is going to be. It’s hard enough to do that just with a movie, let alone with a movie and a game.”
One of his current projects – game/movie The Wheelman – is a case in point, delays meaning the game (starring Vin Diesel) preceded the movie (also starring Vin Diesel) by a huge window.
Plus there remains the age-old problem: movies and games tell stories differently. It’s something that leading figures in both industries are trying to solve.
“They’re different experiences,” says di Bonaventura. “The adrenalin rush aspect of a videogame is very specific to your direct interaction with it. I don’t think movies can replace that. It’s something that videogames have uniquely to themselves.”
That hasn’t stopped various titles trying – including Doom, whose fi nal reel turned into a first-person shooter – though results have been mixed.
With Sam Raimi inked in to direct Warcraft and Heavy Rain looking to rewrite digital storytelling, it’s a great time to be a movie fan and a gamer. The future’s bright, the future’s playable.
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