Gamasutra reported that earlier today, while speaking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in Newport Beach, CA, ActivisionBlizzard CEO,
Bobby Kotick hinted that movies produced by the talent behind video game cutscenes may soon produce full length movies and distribute them electronically.
...Kotick noted that July's StarCraft II has about an hour's worth of cutscenes that are created with the title's in-game engine.
He theorized, "If we were to take that hour, or hour and a half, take it out of the game, and we were to go to our audiences for whom we have their credit card information as well as a direct relationship and ask, 'Would you like to have the StarCraft movie?', my guess is that ... you'd have the biggest opening weekend of any film ever."
Kotick noted that unlike film studios that are stuck with a model that requires costly theatrical distribution that cuts in on margins, Activision Blizzard could go directly to its consumers via online. The CEO mentioned a possible $20 or $30 price tag for such a film, but at this early stage, it's all speculative.
But it still seems that such an initiative is inevitable for the publisher. "Within the next five years, you are likely to see us do that. That may be in partnership with somebody, it may be alone," he said.
"But there will be a time where we capitalize on the relationship that we have with our audience, and deliver them something that is really extraordinary and let them consume it directly through us instead of theatrical distribution," Kotick added.
Citing some unspecified research at Activision, the CEO said that if the company were to distribute a movie directly to consumers' homes, "an extremely high percentage [of consumers] would then go to the theater then watch it again. That's the nature of our consumer -- a very enthusiast consumer."
Kotick has clearly been thinking about this convergence between games and film, but not in the "Hollywood + Games" context that most game companies adopt. The CEO is thinking more about relying less on outside Hollywood-related entities like movie studios, film distributors, external intellectual properties and Hollywood actors, and doing as much as possible to build Activision Blizzard and its properties internally -- essentially keeping the profits within Activision's walls.
Sadly, from the above quotes, the sole motivation for such an undertaking seems to be money. The competitive advantage Kotick references is really mass exploitation of an entire community's passion for a fantastic franchise. While many fans, including those at StarCraft Legacy, would be thrilled at the announcement of a StarCraft movie, its quality would need to be unparalleled and the creators passion evident, anything less would prove to be a major disappointment.
It's necessary to point out that Activision Blizzard is a business and its primary function as such is to make a profit. Kotick epitomizes that aim and his quotes on the subject often damn him in the eyes of the general gaming populace. He is often characterized as blunt, ruthless, and driven not by a desire to create amazing games, but to rather to solidify Activision Blizzard as the number one entertainment company. Yet Blizzard has so far been able to remain unsullied by that characterization. Seemingly protected by an operating agreement,
Mike Morhaime, the CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, or its ace reputation, the company has yet to sellout its founding ideals. His responsibility is to the shareholders, Blizzard's is to its fans. Should a StarCraft, or any other Blizzard franchise, be adapted to film, it is likely that Blizzard will do everything it can to ensure it is done its way.
Source:Gamasutra - Kotick Hints At Direct-To-Consumer Video Game Movies
