Sniper Elite 3 will give UK satirist chance to snipe himself

When most people really, really like a game, they might display it prominently via posters, collectibles or even a stand for the game itself. When British satirist and former games journalist Charlie Brooker really likes a game - in this case, the Sniper Elite series - he gets invited to appear in Sniper Elite 3 by developer Rebellion. Before you get too jealous, it sounds like Brooker's cameo will be as an NPC, and Brooker will more likely be a snipe-ee than a sniper.

Rebellion founder Jason Kingsley spoke highly of Brooker in an associated press release, and said his inclusion will be a way to thank Brooker for being such a vocal fan. "At one stage it seemed like Charlie mentioned Sniper Elite every few weeks in his Guardian columns and we're incredibly grateful for his support, so this seemed like the perfect way to say 'thanks,'" Kingsley said. "We really appreciate Charlie championing a British-made game series."

Lest that sound like celebrity endorsement money talking, Kingsley was quick to downplay such corporate motivations. "You can buy endorsement all you want, but gamers can tell the difference between a genuine fan and a celeb that is happy to get a payday."

[Image: Rebellion]

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WHO SHOT CHARLIE BROOKER?

British satirist, screenwriter and broadcaster Charlie Brooker is set to appear in computer game Sniper Elite 3 as a character the general public will be able to shoot in a specially created level.

Charlie Brooker, a vocal fan of the tactical World War Two shooter series, was invited to visit games developer Rebellion's studios to see first-hand how the game was created.

After a tour of Rebellion and 2000AD's Oxford headquarters, and a hands-on gaming session with Sniper Elite 3, the studio's Creative Director Jason Kingsley proposed a novel 'thank you' to the television star for being a long time champion of the title – the chance to have his likeness, movement and voice appear in the game.

Charlie Brooker took Rebellion's Sniper Elite 3 team up on the offer of appearing in one of his favourite games and put on a full body Lycra suit covered in tiny balls for an intense motion-capture session to act out the movements of several characters.

Rebellion is keeping quiet on Charlie Brooker's exact role in Sniper Elite 3 for now, but the games creators have promised it will appeal to Charlie's dark sense of humour, fuelling speculation he won't just be the good guy.

An unapologetic gamer and a former video games journalist, Charlie Brooker most recently endeared himself to the gaming community with primetime Channel 4 documentary Videogames Changed the World which featured footage from Rebellion's award-winning Sniper Elite: V2, a game he described in The Guardian as "The Rolls Royce of sniping games".

As Rebellion founder and creative director Jason Kingsley explains, having such a high profile fan was too good an opportunity to miss:

"You can buy endorsement all you want, but gamers can tell the difference between a genuine fan and a celeb that is happy to get a payday"

"At one stage it seemed like Charlie mentioned Sniper Elite every few weeks in his Guardian columns and we're incredibly grateful for his support, so this seemed like the perfect way to say 'thanks'. It was also a great opportunity to reward our team who have worked so hard to get the game ready for its launch in June and we really appreciate Charlie championing a British-made game series. We had a fun time doing his motion capture scenes and in return have promised to give him one of the first copies of the game in June so he can shoot his character with a sniper rifle to his heart's content."

About Rebellion

Rebellion® is the studio behind worldwide number one hit games such as Sniper Elite V2 and Aliens vs. Predator. One of Europe's leading independent video games developers and comic book publishers, Rebellion is privately owned company based in Oxford, United Kingdom, and prides itself on its unique and innovative approach to IP development and stewardship. It has been responsible for a diverse portfolio of publisher-owned and internally developed IPs, including Star Wars BattleFront, Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death, The Simpsons Game and Sniper Elite. Rebellion's publishing portfolio includes multi award-winning British science fiction comic 2000 AD, the 2000 AD Graphic Novel line, the internationally-acclaimed fantasy, science fiction and horror imprint Solaris Books, and shared-world pulp imprint Abaddon Books.

For more information please visit: http://www.rebellion.co.uk/
Like Rebellion on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebellionDevelopments
Follow Rebellion on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rebellion

About 505 Games

505 Games is a global video game publisher focused on offering a broad selection of titles for players of all ages and levels. The company publishes games on leading console and handheld platforms as well as for mobile devices and social networks. Product highlights include, Sniper Elite V2, PAYDAY 2, Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Terraria, How To Survive, Tiny Brains, and the upcoming Sniper Elite 3, Defense Grid 2 and Adr1ft.

505 Games has offices in Los Angeles, Milton Keynes, UK, Lyon, Munich, Milan and Madrid and a network of distribution partners within the Nordic territories and Australia. For more information on 505 Games and its products please visit www.505games.com