EA & Spielberg Team Up

http://www.idlethumbs.net/display.php?id=62 Not my finest article ever, but it's somewhat appropriate.

My PR guy wrote this statement. I know almost nothing about video games. EA put up a lot of money.

It's the sense of storytelling that will most benefit from Spielberg. He knows how to arrange and story to keep it interesting -- how to move characters along a path and how to tell a story so people understand. This is something that is not changed by the medium you are in: good storytelling is good regardless if it's in a game, movie, or book. A game needs to be fun, and the ideas of the story need to support gameplay, but the details of the story and the way it is told is what makes a great story. This is something Spielberg has, and the old Lucasarts guys had, but few have now.

"I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format."

I guess I missed that one.

Wow. Two really sucky things together at last.

Spielberg used to be something. EA used to release decent games. Sadly, not so much anymore.

I bet he couldn't name off one EA Game that isnt a sports title.. probably went more like this " Hey steven, wanna make 30 mil and in a hurry?"

Could this be coming from a previous relationship already established with Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault, an EA game Spielberg had a "creator" credit on?

Spielberg needs to stick to making movies, and EA needs to stick to making Sports games because thats the only thing it can do half decently.

Spielberg's "signature style of.... design... and artistic visualization" being what, excactly? How his storyboarders and concept artists design and plan shit out for him? If anything the man has a complete lack of style. His movies are shot so cut and dry it's like watching someone paint-by-numbers. Three point lighting has never looked so boring.

I hope that all of these games have inappropriately uplifting endings as well. That would really cast the Spielberg glow on them! Oh well, it's EA, it's not like anyone who plays decent games gives a shit.

Madden '07 - Spielberg Edition, complete with unnecessarily uplifting "down to the wire" final minute of the game, where a handicapped kid kicks the winning field goal! *john williams music swells, audience remains unchallenged but placated*

Or be prepared for more World War 2 games, where blood-thirsty animalistic German soldiers run at you blindly on scripted paths, being mowed down by the hundreds with your trusty Tommy Gun. Yes, experience Omaha Beach again - for the first time! With Willy, a metally-challenged yet charming recruit, not yet hardened by the pain of battle... who kicks the winning field goal at the end! YAY!

Yea, someone that hasn't written anything decent in his career (Close Encounters of the Third Kind is the only thing that comes close to good in his writing repertoire, and even that has piss-poor pacing) is gonna bring a lot of great IP to the table. Not to say that I hate everything he's done, I mean I love Indiana Jones (thanks to good script-writers)... But he's far from a great talent. He's workman-like, he gets the job done and pulls in the dollars. I'm just sick of him being revered as a great artist.

This is a great move for EA: Couple a director that does nothing but cater to the lowest common denominator with a game publisher that does nothing but cater to the lowest common denominator.
3...
4. PROFIT!

Didn't he green-lit the awesome Neverhood way back? That's enough for me to warant some serious excitment over this announcement.

he will offer his signature , nothing more , just his name :)

There going to work that old man to death!

Because movie and game industry partnerships always turn out so well!

But here's to hoping we'll see a good Jurassic Park game.

Nothing but good can come of this. Besides that Jaws game.

A quote from Ron Gilbert, creator of Monkey Island

[i]Did George Lucas ever pop his head around the door at LucasArts?
No, but Steven Spielberg did. Spielberg was a game fanatic, so every time he came up to the ranch to do business with George he was over at the games division, wanting to know what we were doing. He'd say: "Show me this! Show me that!" and grab the joystick away from us. He was great.[/i]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php?id=125024

Thats no surprise. If you look at Spielbergs attempts to control the media before WOTW was in cinemas it's obvious why he wants to work with a company like EA.

That crazy Neil Young, will he never learn?

SPIELBERG'S
game title

ofmgwtfbbqwaffles!! EA bought Spielberg!@!!

Remember that ET game on the 2600?

Yeah..

"I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format."

Hah!

I think this is great news for gamers, but I can't help but wish Spielberg would have signed with another company besides EA... like Valve.

Wasn't there a big layoff at EA a few months back that basically purged the "Hollywood Types"?

Now this?

ET 2k6.

'nuff said

He should be working with Lucasarts on a bad ass Indiana Jones game. With Harrison Ford and Sean Connery voice acting.

I'd buy that.

Boy. Spielberg may be one of my favorite filmmakers ever (EVER), but movies and games are two very different things. We'll see how this pans out.

That said, I believe he had something to do with the Medal Of Honor Allied Assault, which was a fantastic game. Pretty much a figurehead role and general overseer like Peter Jackson with the King Kong game I'm assuming. So long as the developers are also creative and can do their thing it might be good. EA though, oy

Weird sidenote - Spielberg loves videogames and loves first person shooters. A storyboard artist I know told me a story that Spielberg would work with his storyboard artist (a different guy, friend of my friend) while playing games like Wolfenstein. Shoot Nazis, come up with idea, back to shooting Nazis, repeat.

OOLOL MORE LIEK MORE MAINSTREAM SPIELBURG GAMES AMIRITE HAHAH LOL

"I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format." said Steven Spielberg. "Having watched the game industry grow from a niche into a major creative force in entertainment, I have a great deal of respect for EA's understanding of the interactive format. I'm looking forward to working closely with the team in Los Angeles."

lol

C'mon Stevy! We all know what you're really trying to say: "EA = BL$NG BL$NG! SHOW ME TEH MONEYZ!"

I coulda sworn I read an article awhile back in wired or something about the EA-LA studio being a suckhole money pit that failed miserably trying to merge video-games with hollywood, ONCE AGAIN.