14 DAY TRIAL // Universal is announcing that it is setting up a videogame studio to handle development for some upcoming projects. Universal had a stake in Vivendi Universal, even if that company was not focused on games based on movies, but the merger between Activision and Blizzard means Vivendi Universal is now virtually out of the picture.
The first project announced by Universal is Wanted, which is set to launch for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game will adapt a lot of interesting bits from the movie, from bullets that turn corners to slow motion sequences. It is likely that it will have a budget to the tune of millions of dollars and that some of the stars of the movie do voice acting for the game characters.
Until recently, videogame tie-ins based on popular movies were developed by third party companies and then released by a publisher affiliated with the film company. The results have not been extraordinary. The small amounts of money pumped into development and the tight schedules meant that the games were mostly bland and mediocre. Such movie companies like Warner Bros. and Disney have decided that they will seek to create development studios to be exclusively focused on movie-based games, in an effort to improve quality and sales.
In what might seem a weird choice, Universal has decided not to create its own label to distribute the games it will make, but rather to partner up with another big media company, Warner Bros. The upcoming game, based on the top-seller Wanted starring Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, will be the first title distributed for Universal by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Bill Kispert, one of the most important men at Universal stated that "We're now running a hybrid model where we can license titles where that makes sense or kick off development earlier to put ourselves in a better position for success".