Warner Bros acquires Monolith - movie tie-ins get new lease of life?
Matrix Online and No One Lives Forever developer bought for undisclosed sum.
Warner Bros bought a small stake in developer Monolith Productions last year, and as announced today, it has chosen to follow up this investment by acquiring the company outright. This will bring the makers of Tron 2.0, The Matrix Online and No One Lives Forever under the control of Jason Hall, who has been heading up Warner Bros’ games division since the beginning of the year.
Since his appointment, Hall has been investigating new ways to improve the quality of games based on Warner Bros movie franchises. He suggested at the end of May that he wanted to establish a system whereby games developers would be charged royalties on a sliding scale, according to review scores. The acquisition of Monolith, however, will give Warner Bros direct responsibility for a certain number of its franchises, therefore reducing the need for such a controversial scheme.
Monolith is currently working on F.E.A.R. and The Matrix Online, which is to be co-published by Sega. In the case of the latter, Warner Bros will now have direct input on how the game relates to the film. Given that Hall is adamant that the reputation of Warner Bros movie names must not be sullied, this acquisition could stimulate a pleasingly energetic development process.
The takeover will come into play on October 1st. Expect more news of Monolith’s output around that time.
Since his appointment, Hall has been investigating new ways to improve the quality of games based on Warner Bros movie franchises. He suggested at the end of May that he wanted to establish a system whereby games developers would be charged royalties on a sliding scale, according to review scores. The acquisition of Monolith, however, will give Warner Bros direct responsibility for a certain number of its franchises, therefore reducing the need for such a controversial scheme.
Monolith is currently working on F.E.A.R. and The Matrix Online, which is to be co-published by Sega. In the case of the latter, Warner Bros will now have direct input on how the game relates to the film. Given that Hall is adamant that the reputation of Warner Bros movie names must not be sullied, this acquisition could stimulate a pleasingly energetic development process.
The takeover will come into play on October 1st. Expect more news of Monolith’s output around that time.
Read More Like This
Comments
Joji 13 Aug 2004 11:00
1/2
Warner now moving into the games arena, with this insane idea of rating film license games. I think Monolith are no doubt a talented bunch, but now they will most likely be dictated what they can and can't do by suits. While the income will help and some freedom is lost, it's no guarantee that a film license game will be good. Sometimes it's the source material that is flawed, even though Warner would never admit it, and when limits are then placed on the Monolith crew it won't help things I reckon.
But don't listen to my negativity, Warner will have to prove now if their idea can work in practice. I'll be watching with a pinch of salt, and a bucket full to rub into their wounds later, if it fails. Even Nintendo and Sony have made flawed games, so what makes Warner so special. The harsh truth is that some films are not suitable game material, let alone to be called films themselves.
But don't listen to my negativity, Warner will have to prove now if their idea can work in practice. I'll be watching with a pinch of salt, and a bucket full to rub into their wounds later, if it fails. Even Nintendo and Sony have made flawed games, so what makes Warner so special. The harsh truth is that some films are not suitable game material, let alone to be called films themselves.
config 13 Aug 2004 13:12
2/2
Warner Bros, publishing games?
Yeah, that's a company knows a good game when it sees one. Rise of the Robots, for example.
LOL
Yeah, that's a company knows a good game when it sees one. Rise of the Robots, for example.
LOL