Ben-DutkaGames to movies and movies to games…it's a common – yet often ill-advised – leap across entertainment venues. But television to games is a bit less common, and we'll hope this move is less "ill-advised."
Yesterday, Aspyr announced it has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with 20th Century Fox to publish The Shield , which is based on the popular and gritty TV crime drama of the same name. They plan to release it for PC and PS2, and they'll be utilizing the development skills of Point of View. Featuring third-person action and set in the inner-city streets of LA, the game should include the voices of several cast members, including series star Michael Chiklis as Detective Mackey.
The game was originally unveiled back at E3 2004, but since then it has inexplicably disappeared. The show, on the other hand, continues to maintain a large number of fans and supporters, and perhaps the fifth successful season was the charm. Aspyr is finally ready to get going.
As one might expect, players will take the role of Vic Mackey, the fiery leader of the elite Strike Team, a street-savvy and brutally effective unit that tends to get under the skin of those political types.
"The Shield game captures the spirit, atmosphere, and production values of the television series it's based on, and with its millions of viewers and fans, it is the perfect product to be our foray into the PS2 market," said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President, Publishing for Aspyr.
Thus far, the company's publishing experience has been limited to mostly PC and Mac, although recent credits include Stubbs the Zombie and Dreamfall for Xbox, as well as several GBA titles. The Shield should be available in North America and Europe some time this winter.
Related Game(s): The Shield