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Movies And Video Games Should Be Mutually Exclusive

For a while there, things were looking up.

There was Kung Fu Panda , The Bourne Conspiracy , and Transformers: War for Cybertron (one of three pretty decent "Transformers" titles). But you know, we have to come to the conclusion that no video game based on a movie, and no movie based on a game is going to be winning any awards.

The whole "Battleship" fiasco is just another example, although in this particular case, the movie tanked, too. The bottom line is that whether a game is based on a film or vice versa, there just aren't enough resources or effort put into the production. This is partly because the distributor probably knows it won't win any awards or hit big on the sales charts; thus, the vicious circle: Not enough resources and effort, no win on either side. The whole thing is just pointless, so let's just keep the industries mutually exclusive, shall we? No, of course it won't happen. I'm just saying, in an ideal world…

I think the final element is one not enough people acknowledge- Movies and games are just vastly different. This isn't about visuals; this is about how we participate in both hobbies. One is entirely passive while the other is almost entirely active. To take a production from one world and attempt to jam it into the other is the epitome of square peg syndrome. Worse, it's entirely unnecessary. Let movies do their thing and let games do theirs. Let's not keep cross-polluting because after many years of futility, the failures are numerous and obvious, and it's time to accept that.

Hey Hollywood, Get Your Own Ideas

For an industry that routinely looks down at its aging, repetitive, predictable nose at video games, movies sure are stealing a lot from interactive entertainment these days.

It used to be that movies based on games were almost automatic box office and critical failures. But things have been changing rapidly; as games have approached the realm of film in terms of realism, storytelling, and overall quality (note I said "approached"), we're starting to see more evidence of the following: Hollywood is out of ideas.

What movies aren't based on something else these days? What inspiration isn't taken from a book, a true historical event, or a game? Original scripts are few and far between and when they do exist, they're often downright embarrassing. Hollywood has blamed video games for stealing away movie-viewers, but instead of complaining, how's about coming up with something fresh? Now you're doing Assassin's Creed ? Will there be a big game name that won't be a movie at some point now?

Perhaps it's too simplified to say that games are on the way up while movies are on the way down. But at least in terms of progression, innovation, and creativity, I just can't see it any other way. And rather than trying to compete, Hollywood is just taking existing ideas, and from the "geeks" that have no place amongst the glitterati. Hey, here's the deal: if you want to keep taking our ideas and making money because the talent in your industry is diminishing, then you better start helping guys like David Jaffe and Hideo Kojima become gods like Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise.

Yeah, that's right. You benefit and get to walk down the red carpet, but you keep the nerds who created the idea behind closed doors, right? Not much longer, Has-Been-Wood. Not much longer. The sun is setting on your glorified reign, and you know it.

EA On Movie-Based Games: They’re Just Not Worth It

Although some games based on movies have proven decent this generation, EA says they're done with the games/film licensing business. It just isn't worth it, they say.

This according to what EA Games president Frank Gibeau told Develop during a recent interview. What once was a big cash cow for the company has failed to deliver; games like James Bond 007: Blood Stone and titles based on "The Lord of the Rings" just don't seem to sell well. Said Gibeau:

If you want to make a hit, you have to give a game time to get to quality. The days of licensed-based, 75-rated games copies are dead like the dinosaur."

After being asked if EA would be returning to the movie/game business – in which they've participated for a good 15 years – Gibeau's response was firm and unwavering:

"The percentage royalties you have to pay the licensors are going the wrong way for publishers. The margins are being squeezed. And, to top it all off, the movie-game business is falling apart.

Considering the total amount of money we have to spend on those types of James Bond games, and the total amount of man-hours we had to put into them, we thought; hell, let’s work on our own IP. The guys who made James Bond games for us, well yeah, they went on and made Dead Space. And look where we are now; what would you rather publish, retail and play – the latest James Bond or Dead Space 2?"

Well, that's a darn good question. While we said Blood Stone was a pretty fun game and worth playing, we also know it paled in comparison to the fall season's truly great titles. This is the type of thing that drives EA nuts. However, we will say that High Moon Studios ( Kung Fu Panda , Transformers: War for Cybertron ) seem to be quite capable when it comes to making decent games based on films that also sell well.

You might want to ring 'em up, EA.