DICE: Sony Pictures Vice Chairman Talks Convergence
To Yair Landau, Vice Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, convergence isn't just making movie-based games or games based of movies; it's about getting the best out of each medium, and the animators on both sides are the ones who bring it all to life.
On the opening night of the 2007 D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, Sony Pictures Entertainment Vice Chairman Yair Landau was introduced by AIAS President Joseph Olin as "a perfect fit for addressing convergence." Landau walked out onto the stage as an exciting clip from Sony Pictures
Ghost Rider played on the huge screen behind him.
Why
Ghost Rider? Well, for one, he plugged the fact that it's opening in theaters next week, but the movie serves as the perfect example of several of Landau's points about convergence. Although he noted that movies and games are fundamentally different experiences, animation is becoming a "tremendous bridge" for both mediums and he stressed that it's the animation that allows game makers and filmmakers to get the most out of the respective mediums.
The animation takes the game experience and the movie experience and makes it more visceral; it makes movies more engaging and believable and it makes games more immersive. Landau said that the two industries are at "a golden age" where the tools, software and hardware have caught up with imagination, so that almost anything can be built and animated.
Landau, who has been very much inspired by Sony Pictures' Spiderman, also said that he's a "big believer in character driven IP." Whether it's everyone's favorite web slinger, Ghost Rider or 007, the character is key. Speaking of 007, Landau showed a clip of
Casino Royale and followed it up with a new espionage type game that he jokingly said is "codenamed 'Vista' because we pushed it back a year."
Another important project and example of convergence that he revealed was
Surf's Up, an animated movie about surfing penguins. Landau said he wanted to find a way to bring the intricacies of surfing to a mainstream audience. Sony Pictures partnered with Ubisoft to bring out a game based on the IP. Landau stressed, however, that convergence also must be sensitive to the respective audience. For example, surfing pro Kelly Slater consulted with them about the movie, but not the game because the game would be made to difficult and not as accessible if made too realistic (like Slater's past surfing games, Landau said).
Ultimately, Landau envisions a landscape where the best and brightest talent from both the movie industry and the gaming industry can easily translate their creativity and skill set from one field to the other and become stars in both.
by James Brightman
Comments or questions? Send them to [email protected]
