Brash's First Project Is...
The publisher created to bridge the gap between Hollywood and games is -- surprise, surprise -- working on a licensed game.
Published: August 14, 2007
A while back, Brash Entertainment announced they were getting into the games biz, which in and of itself wasn't terribly surprising; plenty of companies are seeing the ridiculous amount of money made year-on-year and want a piece of the action. The news that Brash was meant to be a bridge between Hollywood and the games industry wasn't really all the big either -- plenty of publishers like EA have been courting Tinseltown bigwigs like Steven Spielberg for years.
What was surprising, however, was just how much leverage they had behind the company. The combined management team had occupied positions with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Ubisoft, Viacom/MTV Networks, EA, Microsoft, Blizzard and CAA, companies that, if not part of Hollywood already, certainly had ties. With $400 million in funding, the design from the start was to merge Hollywood's drive with the video games industry's momentum. So what is their first blockbuster collaboration?
Alvin and the Chipmunks. No, seriously.
Now, we're all skeptical and jaded and heartless and whatnot, but the concept seems sound enough: Alvin and the gang want to go on a "Rockathonalapooza," a massive music bender stretching from fictitious spots like schools and forests (yes, really) to actual events like Burning Man (we wish we were making this up). Conceived as an apparent rhythm action game, what has us interested most in the game is the scope of it: this isn't some kind of 800 SKU multi-platform bonanza; Brash is sticking almost exclusively to Nintendo systems (the Wii and DS will both get versions, not surprising given their install base), but the PC and PS2 will both get versions too (again, essentially a given with the latter's near 120 million owners out there).
One could make the argument that the PS2 is in there purely for the install base and the ease of concurrent development with the Wii, tech-wise, but we'd like to pretend that it's just because Brash isn't going for a next-gen showpiece here, they're just trying to milk a license and make a decent game that doesn't stretch too far. Of course, when the game hits on December 4th -- about a week and a half before the movie -- we'll know for sure.
“This holiday, Alvin, Simon and Theodore have been entirely redesigned with a bold new look for the launch of their first live action film and video game debut.” mused Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., CEO of Bagdasarian Productions (as in Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., aka David Seville, the creator of the Chipmunks and obvious owners to the rights to the property).
As is the history of the original Chipmunks characters, music plays a big part in the movie and obviously a rhythm action game. It looks like Brash is going the pop route on things here, taking 40+ songs and giving them the Chipmunks treatment. Though they're still being coy with the full list of songs, the following should give a taste of what to expect:
"All The Small Things" – Blink 182
"It’s Tricky" – Run DMC
"Heartbreak Hotel" – Elvis Presley
"All Star" – Smashmouth
"Shiny Happy People" – REM
And there you have it. As soon as screens or video or actual preview code of the game comes in, we'll be sure to pass 'em along to you.
What was surprising, however, was just how much leverage they had behind the company. The combined management team had occupied positions with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Ubisoft, Viacom/MTV Networks, EA, Microsoft, Blizzard and CAA, companies that, if not part of Hollywood already, certainly had ties. With $400 million in funding, the design from the start was to merge Hollywood's drive with the video games industry's momentum. So what is their first blockbuster collaboration?
Alvin and the Chipmunks. No, seriously.
Now, we're all skeptical and jaded and heartless and whatnot, but the concept seems sound enough: Alvin and the gang want to go on a "Rockathonalapooza," a massive music bender stretching from fictitious spots like schools and forests (yes, really) to actual events like Burning Man (we wish we were making this up). Conceived as an apparent rhythm action game, what has us interested most in the game is the scope of it: this isn't some kind of 800 SKU multi-platform bonanza; Brash is sticking almost exclusively to Nintendo systems (the Wii and DS will both get versions, not surprising given their install base), but the PC and PS2 will both get versions too (again, essentially a given with the latter's near 120 million owners out there).
One could make the argument that the PS2 is in there purely for the install base and the ease of concurrent development with the Wii, tech-wise, but we'd like to pretend that it's just because Brash isn't going for a next-gen showpiece here, they're just trying to milk a license and make a decent game that doesn't stretch too far. Of course, when the game hits on December 4th -- about a week and a half before the movie -- we'll know for sure.
“This holiday, Alvin, Simon and Theodore have been entirely redesigned with a bold new look for the launch of their first live action film and video game debut.” mused Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., CEO of Bagdasarian Productions (as in Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., aka David Seville, the creator of the Chipmunks and obvious owners to the rights to the property).
As is the history of the original Chipmunks characters, music plays a big part in the movie and obviously a rhythm action game. It looks like Brash is going the pop route on things here, taking 40+ songs and giving them the Chipmunks treatment. Though they're still being coy with the full list of songs, the following should give a taste of what to expect:
"All The Small Things" – Blink 182
"It’s Tricky" – Run DMC
"Heartbreak Hotel" – Elvis Presley
"All Star" – Smashmouth
"Shiny Happy People" – REM
And there you have it. As soon as screens or video or actual preview code of the game comes in, we'll be sure to pass 'em along to you.