More video game moves are inevitable, but the least publishers could do is start talking to the right people. Look at the care Microsoft and Bungie have taken with Halo — even if that one won’t move into production for some time. Capcom’s hired former THQ executive Germaine Gioia, who helped ink THQ’s immensely profitable deal with Nickelodeon, to act as a Hollywood liaison going forward.The idea is to copy Gioia’s plan with Nickelodeon, where franchises are born in collaboration between the publisher and the Hollywood studio, rather than converting the franchise after it’s been released onto the market place. Often times THQ-created games became Nickelodeon shows, and it appears Capcom’s hoping for a similar approach.
How will this Hollywoodization affect Capcom’s game development? Apparently any collaborations will still be headed by the company’s top designers, and for the time being any deal will likely be made based on existing franchises.
“For the near-term, I’m going to look at the game engines that Capcom has and the capabilities internally at the studios and presumably see if there are things we can take advantage of with properties that might do well with recognizable characters or story lines associated with existing game engines,” Gioia said to The Hollywood Reporter. “But that always doesn’t work, so it might be a while before certain licensed properties that have been developed from the ground up are out in the marketplace.
And apparently the next Street Fighter movie will focus on Chun Li. Somewhere, some place, Jean-Claude Van-Damme is crying. But it does bring up a good question — why another Street Fighter movie? Why now? Could Capcom be finally working on the mythical Street Fighter 4? Are they looking for a mainstream tie-in? Our magic 8-ball says “likely.”
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