It’s kind of amazing that in 2011 there hasn’t really been a huge, successful video game movie franchise started from something like a Halo or a Gears of War. There’s of course the Resident Evil franchise that keep chugging along, and there were two big Tomb Raider films, but really there’s just been a lot of B-adaptations and some abortive blockbusters like Prince of Persia. Just by sheer numbers you’d think there would be one shining example of a tentpole franchise emerging from that world. Maybe it will end up being Angry Birds?
Not if Ubisoft and Sony have their way! The two are reported to be in “final negotiations” to partner on a blockbuster adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, the +30m copy-selling next generation video game franchise that is set to release a fourth entry later this year.
The franchise, which many of you likely know much more about than me, follows an assassin controlled by a modern gentleman who is forced to make his genetic predecessor work against and among rival cults in different centuries. A lot of religious and conspiracy myth is wrapped up in the now iconic game.
Ubisoft worked hard in their dealings to make sure they retain a degree of control over the production, which is a sentiment I’m hearing more and more from video game deals– I guess they’re sick of their properties becoming jokes. Will all these tech companies do better at engaging some quality control than the Hollywood studios have done over the past two decades? I’m skeptical, but it’s very true that many of them are looking to cultivate the long-term health and prestige of their core franchises, something a partnering studio would only be tangentially concerned with. Maybe it’s the dawning of a new age of better, more sophisticated cashing in and ruthless multi-platform exploitation of successful IPs!
This Assassin’s Creed deal is the result of a major bidding war, so expect to see more movement on the project soon…
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Source | Variety