Friday, April 8, 2011

Random House and THQ to Develop Original Content


Fans of film and book tie-ins to popular video game dynasties will be pleased by the latest deal news from Publishers Lunch.  Industry colossus Random House has confirmed an expansion of their relationship with game creator THQ, aiming to create original content across multiple mediums.  The collection is intended for release as a series of games and books, but the two companies clearly hope to attract enough attention to bring their series to the big screen, much in the same way that Marvel and DC Comics have expanded their properties in the last decade.  

Films adapted from video games have historically done poorly at the box office.  Many have been poorly received by fans of the original products.  However, there is hope for the future.  Recent movie release “Watchmen” received mixed reviews, yet revitalized an interest in the epic comic upon which it was based. 

Many feel that the problem with film adaptations is a departure from the original works upon which they are based.  This project between Random House and THQ purports to offer new content, however, intended from its inception to be produced across mediums.  Time will tell if the structure of this new venture will break the lingering curse, but at the very least we can say it has started with a promising awareness of the multi-platform conformity their series will have to adhere to if they want to please the industry’s fickle fans.  

Meanwhile, attention from such successful industry leaders bodes well for the growth of video game and genre entertainment.  Whether those next steps into the harsh mainstream light will illuminate new, glorious areas to be explored, or cause the creative minds behind our favorite properties to shrink, hissing, back into the cold comfort of anonymity remains to be seen.

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