More Than Meets the Eye
DreamWorks and Activision transform and roll out.
Published: February 13, 2006
Activision may not be the biggest publisher in the world, but they certainly seem to be the most chummy with Hollywood. Whereas publishers like VU Games and EA have certainly shacked up with Tinseltown in the past, the results haven't always been stellar. The ol' ATVI isn't faultless here, but they do have a strong enough track record, and seem to be pumping games out based on every DreamWorks property they possibly can.
Enter Transformers, the game based on the live action movie hitting on the 4th of July next year. We do feel the need to stress the live action part of that, not only because, well, it's not the much coveted cartoon with the super sexy Pat Lee artwork in motion that fans of the series would give their right sac to have, but instead a movie with people, a crapload of CG, we're sure, and it's being helmed by Michael Bay.
Hey, stop those groans! At least the people that made a ton of money in the deal are happy.
“We are thrilled to work with Activision to bring the widely popular Transformers brand to the world of digital entertainment and introduce millions of consumers to our best-known Transformer and biggest hero of all time--Optimus Prime. As the leading developer of video games, Activision shares our passion and excitement for the Transformers story line," squeaked Hasbro President Jane Ritson-Parsons. "We know this world-class and creative team will bring Transformers to life in powerful and exciting ways as we immerse a broad audience in this pop-culture phenomenon.
"Video gaming is a natural next step for our classic properties as children and adults alike live more of their lives around technology," she added. “We see the digital arena as a great complement to the lifestyle experiences that we’re providing to consumers in a variety of categories.”
“Transformers has all of the elements necessary to translate incredibly well into video games,” assured Activision President and CEO Mike Griffith. “We look forward to bringing the Transformer robots to life with the latest interactive technology and graphics.”
The deal with Hasbro (who owns the rights to the toys, movies and cartoons as well as the video games after the company bought the property back from Atari last year) gives Activision the go-ahead to put Transformers stuff eeeeverywhere. It'll hit the usual console, handheld and PC channels you'd expect, but the deal allows for mobile ports, ring tones, and the slightly ominous "other products for gaming fans of all ages."
There are a lot of geek childhoods at stake here, and it'll be interesting to see exactly how badly they're trampled -- the only question is whether it'll happen at the box office or at home, or if, magically, both will end up being good. Fingers are crossed.
Enter Transformers, the game based on the live action movie hitting on the 4th of July next year. We do feel the need to stress the live action part of that, not only because, well, it's not the much coveted cartoon with the super sexy Pat Lee artwork in motion that fans of the series would give their right sac to have, but instead a movie with people, a crapload of CG, we're sure, and it's being helmed by Michael Bay.
Hey, stop those groans! At least the people that made a ton of money in the deal are happy.
“We are thrilled to work with Activision to bring the widely popular Transformers brand to the world of digital entertainment and introduce millions of consumers to our best-known Transformer and biggest hero of all time--Optimus Prime. As the leading developer of video games, Activision shares our passion and excitement for the Transformers story line," squeaked Hasbro President Jane Ritson-Parsons. "We know this world-class and creative team will bring Transformers to life in powerful and exciting ways as we immerse a broad audience in this pop-culture phenomenon.
"Video gaming is a natural next step for our classic properties as children and adults alike live more of their lives around technology," she added. “We see the digital arena as a great complement to the lifestyle experiences that we’re providing to consumers in a variety of categories.”
“Transformers has all of the elements necessary to translate incredibly well into video games,” assured Activision President and CEO Mike Griffith. “We look forward to bringing the Transformer robots to life with the latest interactive technology and graphics.”
The deal with Hasbro (who owns the rights to the toys, movies and cartoons as well as the video games after the company bought the property back from Atari last year) gives Activision the go-ahead to put Transformers stuff eeeeverywhere. It'll hit the usual console, handheld and PC channels you'd expect, but the deal allows for mobile ports, ring tones, and the slightly ominous "other products for gaming fans of all ages."
There are a lot of geek childhoods at stake here, and it'll be interesting to see exactly how badly they're trampled -- the only question is whether it'll happen at the box office or at home, or if, magically, both will end up being good. Fingers are crossed.