Legendary Exec Founds $150M Studio

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Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull and business partner Bert Ellis recently announced their plans for the formation of a video game startup with an equity of $150 million. Known as Brash Entertainment, the company will focus on creating games around licensed properties and co-marketed movies, which Ellis describes as "the safest, most lucrative way to sell a video game."

Brash Entertainment currently has five games in the works--including tentative plans for a PC game based off the most recent Legendary Pictures release, 300--and hopes to produce between 60 and 100 more additional games throughout the next five years. According to officer Jim Altenback, the company aspires "to be one of the biggest game studios in the country." In pursuit of this goal, Brash will outsource development to various studios around the world.

In the past, co-founder Tull has been credited as executive producer on Legendary Pictures film releases such as Superman Returns, The Ant Bully, and 300--all of which saw licensed video games developed alongside them. Collision Studios' 300: March to Glory shipped last month for PSP to generally unenthusiastic reviews. Tull is also an executive producer on the upcoming Warcraft feature film based off Blizzard's successful franchise.

300 writer and director Zach Snyder recently praised the staff of Legendary Pictures and its grasp of the movie-game dynamic in an interview with GameDaily BIZ. "The Superman Returns game [from EA Tiburon] was given more time, and the guys at [film co-producer and co-financer] Legendary Pictures decided to take more time rather than ship it day-and-date with the film," he said. "They've been really instrumental and visionary on their perspective of the landscape. They're cutting-edge when it comes to the blending of the two mediums."

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    March 26, 2007 12:29 PM

    Wait... there is a 300 video game coming out ?

    • reply
      March 26, 2007 12:41 PM

      Came out exclusively for PSP to poor reviews last month.

      • reply
        March 26, 2007 1:02 PM

        Sorry I skimmed the article real fast and didn't see that mention.

        It's fun to hear that we will have another game publisher producing quick and dirty movie cash-in titles.

        Like we need any more of those in the market.

    • reply
      March 26, 2007 1:17 PM

      Its out in theaters now. It cost $10 per play and the cut scenes are unskipable.

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