:: DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT :: VIDEOGAMES ::
In the future, Hollywood and videogame casts and crews will be one and same, working side by side on one integrated team--at least if the vision of Kevin Shortt comes to pass, the lead scriptwriter at French game publisher Ubisoft, which collaborated with filmmaker James Cameron to make a videogame based on his upcoming sci-fi battle epic Avatar. The videogame is scheduled for release Nov. 24, 2009; the movie is slated for Christmas 2009.
Convergence between Hollywood and the videogame industry has been happening for years, with big-budget games utilizing the same techniques, software and production values as blockbuster films, and actors and directors increasingly becoming involved with videogame projects. Will this collaboration model be useful for future projects? Certainly for Ubisoft, that's the model we want to use. What does "Avatar" the game do differently from other videogames? An effort was made to avoid scripted cinematics as much as they could. It would be exciting to jump ahead and be at that point where we've cracked storytelling in the games. Look for "Rock Band's" Potential.
