14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that important movie actors have recognized the power of the video game as an entertainment medium and are now actively seeking out developers in order to lend their voices to characters, expanding their fan base and creating a following that can also power the success of a movie.
Todd Howard, who is the game director working on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has said at a public presentation of Bethesda games that, “With a lot of these actors, there is a cool factor now to doing a video game. It’s not about the money. It’s about, ‘It’s really cool and my agent tells me it’s going to be good for me now instead of bad for me’.”
He added, “notice a lot more people doing it and they come to us.”
The current situation marks quite a shift from a few years ago when most serious actors were afraid of being associated with the video games world because they believed the medium was not serious enough.
Bethesda titles like Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have benefited from voice work from the likes of Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terence Stamp, Liam Neeson and Malcolm McDowell, all well known for their work in movies and on television.
Todd Howard says that the company has not actively gone after other better-known voices for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but that the game will benefit from very good voice acting, with a surprise or two thrown in for the fans.
Skyrim will take the gamer to the North of Tamriel in an adventure that will take place a few hundred years after the events of Oblivion.
The game will include a revamped skill tree, more active fights and a new threat that must be defeated.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be launched on the PC, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 and will be out on November 11.