14 DAY TRIAL // As videogames become more and more interesting to the general public, not just to a small band of hardcore players, the games - movies tie-ins develop into profitable business opportunities. One of the few movies based on games that has been successful is the Resident Evil movies series. On the other hand, games based on the Sopranos, Law & Order or CSI, have not developed into great retail or critical successes. Lost: Via Domus, a game based on the wildly popular TV series, has recently provided gamers with bad voice acting and tedious puzzles. So, games based on TV series seem to be a bad move these days.
Nonetheless, another competitor is entering the TV-series-to-games arena. Showtime announced that a game based on its Dexter series is to be developed by Mark Ecko Entertainment, which is the game and television arm of urban fashion designer Marc Ecko's business empire.
The universe of Dexter is an interesting setting for a video game. The protagonist is a forensics specialist, one who can interpret blood spatter on a murder scene better than most, frustrated with the way dangerous criminals, especially serial killers, escape justice. Dexter, drawing upon his skills and forensic knowledge, has very active nights, during which he ritually executes criminals the law cannot touch in manners that serve as warnings to other killers. Because of his nighttime activities, Dexter, or rather his darker persona, becomes a police target. The show has won both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
Mark Ecko Entertainment has revealed virtually no details regarding the game and there is no time frame for the release. Mark Ecko Entertainment has previously created Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, which registered rather poor sales, but mostly positive reviews. The television inspiration for the game is, in itself, promising. We'll have to wait and see how the game uses this inspiration.