Spielberg Signs With EA

[Jukey]

Steven Spielberg has signed an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts to develop three games over the next several years.

Spielberg will have an office in EA’s studio. He plans to work side-by-side with game developers to create original gaming content beginning with the concept — not a game based on a movie, or vice versa, both of which are common practices nowadays.
MSNBC Article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9690079/)

I wonder if these will be PC or console games...

Editor: Here's an interesting set-up: EA's banking on the Spielberg name, while the good director wants to test the videogame waters with his brand of modified filmmaking designs. In any case (rude awakening or no rude awakening) - EA, meet innovation; innovation, EA.

[Captain Awesome]

whoopty-doo.

[Deadend]

I smell failure from a gameplay angle.
I also smell EA getting even richer.

[Bushido]

Has anyone seen some of spielbergs latest works? My god, Pinochios ending was so long and the Tripod movie....wtf

[Morrolan]

It's a neat idea, but I would have picked someone other than Spielberg, if I were going for quality. EA is, of course, going for name recognition, though.

Interesting development nonetheless. I'd like to hear Spielberg's comments on this deal.

[Ludoc]

Movies != games

Spielberg is a great story teller, when he is doing so to a captive audience. I don't know if someone who is used to directing films, where every detail of how and when an audience will see every action played out is planned and controlled, will be able to create compelling stories in the medium of video games.

[sTubbs]

While I am not expecting great games to come out of this arrangement, I do believe that it will good for the gaming industry as a whole. As many of us gamers have known for ages, video games are and art form that is easily on par with other forms of entertainment media, including movies. However, they have been repeatedly denied equal status thanks to gross misconceptions perpetuated by poor media coverage [is there any other kind these days?]. Getting people such as Spielberg involved with the video game industry in a substantial way such as this can only improve the negative image that is keeping games from recieving the attention that they deserve. Sure the games will probably be poor, but all that will matter to non gamers [the media and other detractors] is that such a big name is actively supportive of and involved with the industry.

PS: One cause for some minor hope is that Spielberg was involved with Medal of Honour back in its PS1 / Allied Assault Days, when the series was actually showing some promise. However, I believe that his contribution was more superficial than anything else.

[Captain Awesome]

Movies != games

Spielberg is a great story teller, when he is doing so to a captive audience. I don't know if someone who is used to directing films, where every detail of how and when an audience will see every action played out is planned and controlled, will be able to create compelling stories in the medium of video games.

Actually it would be the complete opposite. Movies and your talent as a director dont translate exactly as a good game designer. If his duties are directing and telling a story, thats what you will ending up getting. Flat gameplay and long-winded storylines with long cinematics and gimmick game ideas.

What a director thinks he can offer to the game industry no matter how big his talent in film. Has be done by more talented game designers already and if not would do a better job than a film director.

[Subbacultcha]

A Stevan Spielberg game? It's guaranteed to have shit A.I. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0212720/)

[Captain Awesome]

A Stevan Spielberg game? It's guaranteed to have shit A.I. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0212720/)


hahaha touche'.

[H.Bogard]

A Stevan Spielberg game? It's guaranteed to have shit A.I.

I saw that coming.

[Grimgrock]

I don't think anyone is saying Spielberg will be designing the game (i.e., doing the actual programming). The release says he'll be involved. I prefer to wait to see what they come up with rather than judging before the SRS and SDD are even finished.

[Ludoc]

Actually it would be the complete opposite. Movies and your talent as a director dont translate exactly as a good game designer. If his duties are directing and telling a story, thats what you will ending up getting. Flat gameplay and long-winded storylines with long cinematics and gimmick game ideas.

What a director thinks he can offer to the game industry no matter how big his talent in film. Has be done by more talented game designers already and if not would do a better job than a film director.

It's getting pretty late, or early depending on how you look at it, so I'm pretty tired and may not be making much sense. But that is exactly what I was trying to say, hence "movies != games."

Movies are different than games in the sense that it is impossable to explore a movie outside of the director's vision while games are prized for their ability to evolve after the fans get a hold of them. When making a movie one need not worry about the audience trying to run it off the rails. Grenade/rocket jumping to get on top of/outside levels, killing off ai squad mates, and general glitching are all things we try to do in games. Trying to "break" the game is a almost as fun as actually playing it.

Being able to suprise the designers buy doing things they don't expect with their game and not have it crash or the quest you are on to break is the sign of a good game. I'm afraid a director of movies, who by definition are control freaks, will not be able to accept this.

[Echani]

1. Sign Steven Spielberg
2. ?????
3. Profit!

[Draft]

Wow, games based on movies! How did no one think of this before?

[Adewade]

Hey, Steven Spielbeg Presents.... it has worked wonders before.

Remember Tiny Toons? Animaniacs? Freakazoid?

I've no doubt he can make it happen in the gaming world as well.

[dojoteef]

Well he has a long history in the gaming world. Just check out his list of game credits (http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/by_title/developerId,9189/). I'm not saying that he will be a great game designer. In fact one of the leads on The Dig was telling me some of the wacky ideas Steven Spielberg had like making you cut your own arm off so you won't drown. Nonetheless, he has been in the gaming scene for a while, so he isn't a complete novice anymore.

Another interesting tidbit is that he wants one of his sons to become a game designer. I'm guessing that is one of his big motivations for taking this job. He can probably get his son a role in the games he is part of, in order to help jump start his son's career in the industry.

Edit: In fact it looks like he gave his son Max some roles (http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,54923/) in the Medal of Honor series.

[The Mystery Cow]

... In fact one of the leads on The Dig...

Sort of off topic, but I think I'm one of the few who really loved this game. Even though it drove me insane, I loved the turtle-bomb puzzle.

"Damn... DAMN... double-damn... damn..."

[laggerific]

Call me an anti-fanboy, but ugh...could he have picked any worse publisher? It's like if he wrote Saving Private Ryan from the perspective of the Germans, with the Germans as heros. Extreme, perhaps, but EA is not a good company...I mean relatively they could be worse...but in the videogame world, it doesn't get much worse.

[Sl1pstream]

Extreme, perhaps, but EA is not a good company...I mean relatively they could be worse...but in the videogame world, it doesn't get much worse.

And Spielberg's movies aren't mainstream?

[Heretic Machine]

This is news about a film director trying to get into the game industry, and EA trying to make more money... Neither of these things could ever be seen as a good thing.

[laggerific]

I wasn't complaining about the mainstream side of things...I was referring to the overly monopolistic monolithic machine known as EA. EA has destroyed so many excellent companies, one would think they were genocidal. I am being way hyperbolic in my wording, so please forgive me (especially if I have casually used a superserious metaphor, but that's why I was talking in relative terms), but I really don't like what EA has done to some of the finest companies out there.

[Demo_Boy]

Imagine a spielberg game in the style of Grim Fandango.

Yeh it could work if the suits lay off and let dev happen organically.

[Wonka]

If its EA, they will be cross platform titles (if at all possible) in order to maximize revenue.

[Xerxes]

I think Mr. Spielberg has guilt over the Atari E.T. fiasco.

STEVE IT WASN'T YOUR GAME SUCKED. IT WAS YOUR FAULT THE MOVIE WAS GAY THOUGH.

Why didn't he team up with buddy George over at LucasArts. Seeing as how George also said he planned to be more into his gaming division. Which makes me wonder if these to start being more into the game world, what's next? Peter Jackson directing Halo 3 as well? Cameron wanting to do T4 the game? I wonder have these guys ever played some games

We can bash them about games not being movies. But you have to think, they probably feel the limits of direct storytelling and the only way to go from there is interactive storytelling. Tom Clancy can scribble stuff on a napkin and get Splinter Cell to life so who knows. Heard he use to be hands on back when all his stuff was PC, not sure anymore though. We can say it's bad or good until Steven's first game comes out. But I don't hold much faith in EA. I like LucasArts more than I do EA.

[laggerific]

Imagine a spielberg game in the style of Grim Fandango.

Yeh it could work if the suits lay off and let dev happen organically.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...not laughing at you, but the thought of EA suits laying off the devs. HAHAHAHHA...it makes me laugh so hard I start to cry...tears of sadness...Origin, we hardly knew ye!

[MajSheppard]

now I hate Speilberg.

[court12b]

Tom Clancy can scribble stuff on a napkin and get Splinter Cell to life so who knows. Heard he use to be hands on back when all his stuff was PC, not sure anymore though.

when i ran across a "dead drop" in splinter cell that was more like a computer cubicle hiding in a park, it seemed obvious to me that mr. clancy is just letting them use his name.

rainbow 6 however, i bet her kept closer tabs on. that game was a freaking simulator

[Xerxes]

Yeah, I have a friend at redstorm I haven't talked to in a while. I remembered him saying he use to be around back when rainbow six and ghost recon first came out. I think for SC though he was just throwing around like a concept and ubi ran with it. I don't what he does now if anything but sit in a swimming pool of money.

dead drop?

[PixelSamurai]

"Steven Spielberg Presents: Some Crap We Slapped His Name On!"

[Xerxes]

"Steven Spielberg Presents: Some Crap We Slapped His Name On!"

That's what my first post was about. I think he learned his lesson the hardest being tied to game. E.T. phone new mexico dump site. Too late for him to pull a Clancy.

[Adewade]

Is no one listening to me?

Animaniacs! Freakazoid! Tiny Toons!

He can make the crossover work!

[laggerific]

It's not about Spielberg making the crossover work, it's that he sided with the devil to do so.

[Xerxes]

I don't know about signing with the devil, but it's like EA's quality work has never been story based or even from there main studios. EA Sports, the same crap churned out every year with roster updates and some new dynamic that no one cares about. The Sims games, god games from Will Wright. BF, a war game. Aside from those things nothing draw dropping comes from them. If anything, he needs to scrounge together a good dev team and leave anything EA offers, aside from publishing, alone.

And it's not about making crossover work. He's going from static storytelling to a dynamic medium. How many interactive projects has he ever done.