'SIN CITY' VIDEO GAME GOES STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE
Some films seem so perfect for converting to video games that one wonders why it never happened. Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill," for example.Or perhaps Frank Miller's "Sin City." Imagine what a savvy publisher with experience in making great games from movies -- like Electronic Arts or Activision -- could do if it were able to enlist the images and voice acting of the 2005 film's considerable talent, including Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke, and Elijah Wood?
But when the "Sin City" game hits store shelves around Christmas 2009, there will be no stars, no day-and-date marketing with the film's sequel, “Sin City 2,” and the publisher's name on the box -- Red Mile Entertainment -- will be unknown to even the most hardcore gamers. Red Mile?
Indeed, the fledgling game maker has secured the rights not to either of the movies but to the seven graphic novels that comprised their source material, a strategy that even the company's president and COO has a difficult time explaining.
[Editor’s Note: This article was written prior to Red Mile’s announcing the appointment of a new president, Simon Price, who replaced Glenn Wong last month.].
"It's just one of those calls you have to make in the games industry," says Glenn Wong, previously president of Electronic Arts Canada, arguably the world's largest video game studio. "We decided that the 'Sin City' graphic novels, with their dark images and nonlinear stories, would work better as the basis for an interactive game. We don't have to track the linear movie screenplay and try to translate it into a game; we prefer to create an original story based on the characters from the books which, we think, will make for a longer, deeper video game experience."
It doesn't hurt, of course, that it's far less expensive to license the books than the movies, but Wong claims that didn't enter into the equation. "We wanted to go back to the source material instead of the filtered version that people saw on the big screen," he says.
Wong recognizes that, in making that call, he foregoes the one-two marketing punch associated with releasing a game day-and-date with its cinematic counterpart. After all, a simultaneous release might have been easily arranged since "Sin City 2" is currently in preproduction and is scheduled to hit theaters sometime next year. And one of its directors -- "Sin City" creator, author, and artist Frank Miller -- is the game's licensor.
"This is going to be an interesting challenge for us," Wong observes. "We want to appeal to the many faithful fans of the graphic novels and, at the same time, attract the movie audience. We'd like to think that we'll be able to capitalize on whatever awareness of 'Sin City' is generated by the second film. But, frankly, I don't even know when that's scheduled to be released."
Wong says he is simply elated that his company was able to secure the rights to the "Sin City" game. After all, Sausalito, Calif.-based Red Mile Entertainment, which opened its doors in 2006, only has a few games under its belt, including "Jackass: The Game" and "Crusty Demons: The Game." Indeed that may have been the reason why Miller licensed Red Mile; Wong says his company is so small that practically its entire focus is on the one game. "If we were a megapublisher -- and I recall building 35 games a year when I was at EA -- the 'Sin City' game would be just one property competing internally with many others."
The catalyst behind the deal was Union Entertainment president Richard Leibowitz, who represents video game writer/designer and film writer Flint Dille ("Transformers: The Movie"). Dille is a 20-year, long-time friend of Frank Miller's, which enables the duo to work closely on the "Sin City" game, with Dille as producer, writer and designer, and Miller as collaborator.
"Frank and I were driving around in 1991," recalls Dille, "and he was talking about wanting to do this film noir-like, black-and-white graphic novel, which grew up to be 'Sin City.' So I've been on the ride ever since. More recently, there was a poll in the L.A. Times that said that 'Sin City' was the thing more people wanted to turn into a game than any other product. When we saw that, it was like 'OK, this has gotta happen.' "
Miller was unavailable for comment.
Currently, the game is just six months into production with a crew of 35-50 at Melbourne, Australia-based developer Transmission Games (formerly IR Gurus). Their plan is to build the game on three platforms -- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii -- using the Unreal 3 engine, but Dille says he can't reveal much more.
"All I can say is that it will be heavily story- and character-driven, with multiple crossing story lines, and it will contain the same kind of violence, the same kind of sexiness, the same kind of edginess that are the hallmark of the graphic novels," Dille notes. "There will be a wide variety of things for the gamer to do, from fighting to shooting to driving. We're trying to deliver it all in a very stylized, very bold, very surprising way. What makes this so dangerous a project is that, quite frankly, the source material is so damn good. It sets a very high bar for us to hit."
One thing is for sure. According to Wong, with all the effort that is going into turning Frank Miller's concepts into interactive entertainment, the plan is to build on that technology and create a game franchise, regardless how well the first game sells.
"We'd like to finish game No. 1 in a year and a half," he says, "and then turn out a sequel every other year after that. The beauty of Frank Miller's work is that it's so rich with so many characters that, once a gamer gets a real good taste of 'Sin City,' they're not going to say, 'OK, I've seen it all.' They're going to say, 'So when do I get more?' "
In today’s information age, it is not uncommon for companies to run background checks prior to extending an offer. Even more common (and almost the rule), hiring managers will want to speak with your previous supervisors and co-workers to assess your suitability for their position. Since a formal offer will most likely hinge on a successful reference check, keep the following points in mind so you don’t let that opportunity for career progression pass you by.
>> THE BUSINESS OF MMOGS: ARE SUBSCRIPTIONS PASSÉ?
While the majority of MMOGs in the U.S. still earn their keep by collecting monthly fees, the classic subscription business model is no longer a knee-jerk reaction for most domestic publishers of new massive-multiplayer online games.
>> INTEL GROWING VISUAL COMPUTING DEVELOPER COMMUNITY
Intel’s Visual Computing Developer Community has a newly redesigned Web site that the company is recommending as a really helpful destination for game builders seeking advice or anxious to share their expertise.
Last month, we discussed how, over the years, the team here at DAM has encountered job seekers of all flavors. And we focused on the top five mistakes made by job seekers.
>> Q&A: UNION PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPERS
LA-based Union Entertainment is a feature film and videogame talent management and production company that's been representing game development talent for years, helping them sell their own projects or securing work for hire projects. But not everyone is aware that Union occasionally synchs up with DAM to the benefit of developers and publishers alike.
>> QUALITY OF LIFE? DOES ANYONE STILL GIVE A DAMN?
It's been exactly 3-1/2 years since EA_Spouse -- née Erin Hoffman -- wrote her open letter to the games industry and focused a laser-like light on the oppressive working conditions that her fiancé and, by extension, the rest of the development community endured. "Quality of life" (QoL) became the buzzword du jour and unionization the hottest topic around studio water coolers.
>> Top 5 Mistakes Made by Job Seekers
Over the years, the team here at DAM has encountered job seekers of all flavors -- from the "timid, one-word answer" guy to the "you're lucky I've even agreed to talk to you" guy.
>> Q&A: SPARKPLAY READIES 'EARTH ETERNAL'
The success of the games industry has lead to a growing number of small studios forming with the help of venture-capital or private equity. One of those is San Francisco-based SparkPlay Media which is developing an unusual MMOG that is designed to use some of the more popular social networks as customer acquisition tools.
>> CASUAL GAMES LOOK TO AD-SUPPORTED 'TV MODEL'
Some may recall a time not so very long ago when it didn't cost a red cent to watch television. Advertisers funded everyone's home entertainment and the only price you paid to watch your favorite sitcom was having to sit through the commercials.
>> iPhone: Savior Of Gaming? Or Apple’s Marketing Mastery At Play?
On March 6, Apple’s 2.2-GB iPhone SDK was publicly released, complete with a Steve Jobs-fronted presentation detailing all the bells and whistles.
>> 'SIN CITY' VIDEO GAME GOES STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE
Some films seem so perfect for converting to video games that one wonders why it never happened. Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill," for example.
>> 'IRON MAN,' 'HULK,' 'ALIEN' POWER SEGA'S REINVENTION
It's no mean feat powering up from being video game publisher No. 14 in 2004 to becoming the industry's sixth largest third-party publisher today. But Sega of America is tasting that success. Industry analysts credit its president and COO since 2005, Simon Jeffery, as the force behind the company's struggle to reinvent itself.
>> WHAT NEXT AFTER CARIBBEAN PIRATES? BRUCKHEIMER BETS ON VIDEO GAMES AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Given the current state of world affairs, Iran is probably not the most ideal setting for a family-friendly, big-screen blockbuster. But refer to it, instead, as "Persia" (its former name), set it back 2,500 years or so, and base it on a popular video game brand, and what have you got? Exactly the sort of creation producer Jerry Bruckheimer might envision as his next major project.
>> AND THE AWARD FOR BEST VIDEO GAME WRITING IS ...
[NOTE: This article was written in early February, before "Dead Head Fred" won the WGA award on Feb. 7th.]
Awards for the best video game writing? Isn't that an oxymoron? Aren't video games about jumping, shooting, running, shooting, and -- more shooting?
>> GDC 2008 & The State Of Independence
This year's GDC event at the San Francisco Moscone Center seemed to focus more on the little guys than the big boys, with indie and casual games like Fez and Crayon Physics Deluxe inspiring the specialist press moreso than your Gears Of Wars and your Street Fighters. (At least that's what they told me during after-show drinks).
>> Q&A: Boon Or Boondoggle: Tips For A Successful GDC
GDC season is upon us again. Time for booth duty, seminars, new gadgets, renewing acquaintances, meeting people, and parties galore.
>> WBIE On Developer Shopping Spree
When it comes to large media companies playing in the video games sector, the two most aggressive contenders are clearly Walt Disney Co. as No. 1 and Warner Bros. as No. 2. Both are spending a lot of money and moving quickly.
>> Q&A: From SONY To Startup
Best known for creating the “Twisted Metal” and “God Of War” series at Sony, David Jaffe is now co-founder and creative director at seven-month-old indie developer Eat Sleep Play. Why does anyone leave a cushy job after 14 years at Sony to become an indie? We took a few minutes to chat with David to get some answers.
>> Game Developers Expect Credit Where Credit Is Due
Imagine working on a blockbuster film for 2-1/2 years and then being left out of the movie's end credits. It's not likely to happen because union contracts dictate giving credit where credit is due.
>> NBC Uni's Move Into Vid Game Ads Augurs Trend
When Microsoft bought the in-game advertising network Massive in 2006, it was said that the purchase validated the business of selling ads inside video games. But Microsoft was already in the games business, of course, and knew full well the value of in-game ads..
