Author: Mike Gutierrez
Ubisoft Motion Pictures details strategy for Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon
Earlier this month, we explored the convoluted relationship between video games and film, noting the creation of Ubisoft Motion Pictures to handle the movie adaptations for their games. Today, we learned a little more info about the three main properties being looked at for the studio’s first projects: Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon.
“We want to keep ownership, retain control over the film content, and we’re open to work with studios on the development of our projects,” said division head Jean-Julien Baronnet. “Our strategy is not to diversify but to bolster the appeal of our franchises.”
The goal seems to be staying away from all the mistakes and common criticism most mainstream adaptations have suffered under – they don’t represent the games. Instead, Ubisoft Montreal looks to keep their studios in the loop at many stages in production, from getting project members familiar with “the DNA” of the franchise, making sure the stories are consistent, and even up to working on the project itself, with Ubisoft Digital Arts and Hybride Technologies looking to lend a hand.
Ubisoft Motion Pictures claims to have already received interest from U.S. studios and screenwriters, and will be travelling to Los Angeles in June to meet with potential partners. Looking to have a script by the end of the year, hopefully this endeavor will lead to the rise of a respectable video game film culture.
Sony answers PSN-related questions, PS Blog back to normal tomorrow
We’re all back online playing our favorite multiplayer games (Black Ops w00t), but many issues still remain for the PlayStation Network. Jeff Rubenstein from the PlayStation Blog took the time to answer some of the more prevalent questions.
For one, a couple PlayStation Store updates were missed, and there was a lot of great content scheduled to go up, such as a demo for Motorstorm: Apocalypse. Rubenstein expains that once the Store becomes operational again, there will be a couple of publishes throughout the week to bring all of the missed content back. For PlayStation Plus subscribers, they’ll be picking up where they left off on the schedule of games to go up/come down, so you won’t miss your chance to get a free download before it’s unvailable. Also, Sucker Punch is working out the details on a possible InFamous 2 beta extension, and a missed Call of Duty: Black Ops double XP weekend will be made up to us very shortly.
As you can tell, I’m particularly excited about that last bit!
Also, if you’ve been following the PlayStation Blog, you’ve noticed that their regular content of interviews, previews, and features has been interrupted while Sony dealt with the PSN outage crisis. Fortunately, some new content will be coming tomorrow and we’ll all be more in touch with our favorite games, series’ and services.
Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad to tear up XBLA, PSN this summer
D3 Publisher announced today that it will be bringing 2XL Games’ Jeremy McGrath: Offroad to Xbox Live Aracade this summer, with a PlayStation Network version being handled by Reverb Publishing. 2XL was founded by devleopers who have worked on the MX vs. ATV series, so that should make for a strong pedigree going into this one.
Offroad will be making its debut at the Lucas Oil Offroad Racing Series event at the Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA from May 21-22.
Modern Warfare 3 teaser continues the war in Am3rica
Looks like Infinity Ward isn’t trying to hide it anymore. In addition to the tons of juicy details we got earlier today on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s singleplayer and multiplayer modes, the teaser trailer above has been released for the game. It shows a large digital layout of New York city in the vintage Modern Warfare green while Stalker 1-0 and Stalker 1-1 relay communications about the Brooklyn Bridge. At the end, you can hear Vladimir Makarov say something which I seriously hope gets translated soon.
The Call of Duty YouTube channel has been remade with Modern Warfare 3 logos and a whole series of teasers is now available for your viewing pleasure.
It’s pretty ironic that another big game this year made a huge deal about taking the fight to New York (Crysis 2, anyone?). It’ll be interesting to see who pulled off the better rendition or just the better game, but I think the whole “the war comes home” theme FPS games have been taking ever since Turning Point: Fall of Liberty needs to be laid to rest. At least most devs moved away from the whole apocalyptic thing (Rage notwithstanding).
Deathsmiles IIX dated May 17 for Xbox 360 Games on Demand
We first got word a couple months back that Deathsmiles IIX would be coming to North America on Xbox 360, we just didn’t know when or how. Now it’s official – Cave’s adorable, yet tight controlling, lolita-themed shoot-em-up will be coming to Xbox 360 Games on Demand on May 17. The game will be in its original Japanese and will cost $29.99. It will also be the first Games on Demand title to bypass retail stores and go straight to the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Producer Makoto Asada stated that Microsoft came to them to bring the game over, and that Cave will be giving this platform a try for exporting some of their other Japan-only games. This would be similar to PlayStation’s PSOne Classics, and you can expect more quirky shooters from Japan making their way onto Games on Demand.
You can visit Cave’s official Facebook page here.
Dark Souls impaling consoles October 2011
Namco Bandai has narrowed down the date for From Software’s highly anticipated Dark Souls to October 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The spiritual successor to 2009’s Demon’s Souls, the trailer above showcases the gritty atmosphere, hidden surprises, and inevitable deaths that are sure to ensue when the game hits this Fall.
It’s going to be glorious…
Gearbox to host Community Day June 11 in Dallas with new reveals
Gearbox Software will be hosting its inaugural Community Day event in Dallas Texas’ Palladium Ballroom on June 11. Fans of studio will have a chance to get in on some multiplayer of Duke Nukem Forever with the development team, attend panels about the making of their favorite games, and have the covetous privilege of viewing some never-before-seen content. You’ll also get a chance to party alongside the Gearbox crew after the event, provided that you’re 21 or older. You’ll need to print and sign a release form in order to get in and attendees under 18 need a release signed from their parent/guardian.
“Open to all, Gearbox Community Day is a celebration of our awesome fans, our history as a studio, the launch of Duke Nukem Forever, and of what lies ahead for Gearbox,” says the official website.
You have to admire the respect Gearbox shows to its fans and the gaming community at large, especially after it chose Pax Prime 2011 for the public unveiling of Duke Nukem Forever. You can register for Community Day, download the release, and get hotel information here.
Portal 2 Authoring Tools step into open beta
If you ever daydreamed of creating your own Portal 2 levels, now’s your chance. Valve has released the same tools they used to create the game, and they’re available in the Tools tab in Steam. The tools allow you to pretty much create anything you want, from maps for single player and co-op, to making your own character skins, 3D models, sound effects, and music. All you self-conscious creators shouldn’t be intimidated, either, as Valve has included example maps and instances to help you get started. The Authoring Tools are still in beta, so be sure to leave feedback for the devs.
As there’s only so many ways to overcome the group of challenges in Portal 2’s single player and co-op, this is sure to go a long way towards lengthening the lifespan of your game. Be sure to check out our review of Portal 2 as well as an exclusive Warp Zoned interview with the game’s writer, Erik Wolpaw.