Remowned

I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed that BioShock–one of the most aggressively original games that has shipped recently–is so quickly becoming a full-on Franchise, with an 18-month (or so) sequel and a Hollywood sequel. It is inevitable, really–but that’s the most telling part.

Now, I have met a number of people working on BioShock 2, and honestly I think it would be difficult to find a group that is more talented and more suited to the material, so I don’t want to give the impression that I am ragging on that studio or its project, because I’m not. I can’t wait to see what they’re thinking up.

Similarly, director Gore Verbinski gave an interview that puts his enthusiasm for and knowledge of BioShock in an encouraging light. He and screenwriter John Logan have definitely skewed towards the more box office Hollywood blockbuster side of the cinematic experience, which wouldn’t be my first pick, but I can see the justification and necessity there.

Logan did write one of my favorite films of the last several years, Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, so that’s a plus–and I can see some parallels between the eccentric billionaire industrialist Howard Hughes and consummate captain of industry Andrew Ryan, both larger-than-life figures consumed by larger-than-life principles. Ken Levine is said to be involved; it isn’t clear to what extent.

So it isn’t that I don’t have faith in these projects. It’s just that I find it unfortunate that the video game industry is still so relentlessly hit-driven, in a way that hit-driven Hollywood isn’t even close to being, to the point that once somebody does find a hit you can pretty much draft up a map of commodification, effective immediately, with your eyes closed.

Despite the games industry’s relative youth compared to other entertainment industries, it seems to have grown commodified and financially conservative pretty quickly. This is just the Way Things Are, I guess, but I came across and interesting press release that went out the other day, describing an unusual publishing venture.

OneBigGame is a non-profit publisher (hm?) that, once it has established net revenue, plans to donate all its proceeds to charities benefiting children around the world (what?), establishing itself as a charitable organization by proxy. This week the company announced its board of directors, which consists of a number of big names to those who cover the industry.

The whole thing is founded and chaired by Martin de Ronde, the founder of what is now Guerrilla Games (the Killzone people). Its board includes Kuju (Battallion Wars, Crush) CEO Ian Baverstock and Game Developers Conference director Jamil Moledina, and its advisors include Shiny (MDK, Earthworm Jim) founder Dave Perry and gaming pioneer Mark Cerny (Marble Madness, etc.).

It’s certainly hard enough getting any new publisher up and running these days, let alone one that doesn’t intend to make its executives rich. (more…)