Hollywood and Gaming, combined?

by Zachary Slobig Wed Jun 28, 2:48 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The US entertainment industry will be increasingly convergent, with original storylines packaged and released across several media concurrently, said video game and film developers in Hollywood.

"This sort of synergy is a vast untapped resource waiting to explode," said film director Paul W. S. Anderson, whose titles include "Mortal Kombat," and the "Resident Evil" series, at the first annual Hollywood and Games Summit. "We'll begin to see intellectual property designed to be released as video games, feature films, and television spin-offs all at the same time," said Anderson, who is currently shooting the upcoming film "Dead or Alive," based on a popular video game.

More Americans play video games regularly than go to the movies, and the average age of gamers has climbed to 33, according to the founder of the video game department at the International Creative Management, Keith Boesky.

Hollywood is looking for more lucrative ways to exploit this trend in US entertainment consumption with a satuturation approach to marketing. The film industry wants to insure that the expansion of gaming does not come at the expense of box office receipts.

Industry insiders like Seamus Blackley, who handles gaming and film cross-over at Creative Artists Agency, believes Hollywood and the gaming industry have passed the awkward honeymoon phase and are entering a familiar partnership.

"Someday even the president of the United States will be a gamer," said Blackley. "Then our industry will really be different."

Finally, Final Fantasy.

US Final Fantasy XII Launch Set For Halloween

Square-Enix confirms the North American release date for the twelfth Final Fantasy...

Posted: 10:28 on 29 Jun 2006

By: Jon Wilcox

Having received exceptionally high scores when it launched across Japan back in Spring, Square-Enix has confirmed a date for when North America will be able to get their hands on Final Fantasy XII.

Set for release across the territory on October 31st 2006, the PlayStation2 exclusive will be launched in both a Standard and Collector's Edition for $49.99 (£27.50) and $59.99 (£33.00) respectively.

The game follows the story of how two characters from the besieged country of Dalmasca, Vaan and Princess Ashe, attempt to uncover the origins of an invading force from the Archadian Empire, across the land of Ivalice.

Wes Craven and video games.

San Jose Mercury News writer Dean Takahashi says in his blog that the horror-film director is in talks to create an original game.

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot

Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:08 pm PT

When Wes Craven was given the final speaking slot at the inaugural MI6 game-marketing conference this week in San Francisco, the choice likely raised a few eyebrows. Previously, the director's most visible tie to the world of games was the 1989 Nintendo Entertainment System game based on his film, Nightmare on Elm Street.

Craven was booked to speak about fostering customer loyalty, marketing, and creating anticipation for a product from his perspective as a film director. However, after the conference was over, he spoke with San Jose Mercury News writer Dean Takahashi about his possible work as a game designer. After discussing the director's presentation and attitudes toward gaming in general, Takahashi writes on his blog that the director "said he was in talks to create an original game, but wouldn't elaborate."

Film directors getting into game development is a growing trend. Hong Kong action director John Woo is overseeing the development of Midway's Stranglehold, King Kong director Peter Jackson was hands-on with Ubisoft's interactive adaptation of his big-budget remake, and Steven Spielberg last year signed on to create three next-generation games based on original properties with Electronic Arts.

As for horror directors getting into film, Craven will have some company on that front, too. Halloween helmer John Carpenter is working with Titan Productions on Psychopath, a game that he already has plans to adapt into a movie. Hellraiser director Clive Barker has also dabbled in games, finding critical success with 2001's Undying and falling short with the canceled Demonik.

Yeay! More ads!

Tue Jun 27, 8:04 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - South Korean video game company Webzen Inc. on Tuesday said it struck a deal in which Microsoft Corp.'s newly acquired Massive Inc. advertising unit will place promotions in two of its upcoming titles.

The ad deal, which is a first for online game maker Webzen, marks Massive's entry into the Asian market, the companies said. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Games included in the deal are "Huxley," set for release next year, and "All Points Bulletin," due in 2008. Those titles, which are set in virtual urban environments, are so-called massively multiplayer online games that can support thousands of players at once.

Massive sells advertising to companies such as Coca-Cola Co. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd and helps them place their online promotions in slots created by game makers.

The company's technology allows advertisers to run their online campaigns in specific geographic areas and for specific periods of time, rather than buying a spot that is written into the game software.

The new advertising medium -- which some forecasts predict could grow into a $3 billion-plus global market by 2010 -- promises to connect advertisers with the sought-after young male audience that tends to favor the Internet and video games over television and other traditional media.

Online advertising has fueled growth at major Internet companies like Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and Google Inc. and video game makers are hoping that revenue from online advertising also will help transform their industry, where the cost of making ever-more sophisticated games is climbing fast.

"For us, it's a revenue stream but it also offers some realism for the game," Cindy Armstrong, chief executive of Webzen America, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

What I've been playing:

Brain Age

Top Spin 2

Uno!

Convention Corner:

AFO!!! Come to my panels or something. Doing a panel about Western vs. Japanese RPGs.