Danny-Bilson
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From the VGAs Red Carpet: Guillermo del Toro and THQ's Danny Bilson
THQ Executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson stopped by our red carpet post at the VGAs this weekend with director Guillermo del Toro in tow, and Bilson talked with us about all of THQ's upcoming properties, including the quickly ensuing Red Faction movie on SyFy. "They're prepping right now," he promised, "And there's another one coming that we're going to announce soon." Would that be the elusive Saints Row 3? "I can't talk about it or they'll cut my head off," he said. "But we're going to be talking about it at some point in the future in a big way." For his part, Guillermo del Toro decided to work with THQ on the newly revealed inSane because he believes that gaming "is one of the most immersive mediums for storytelling right now." We asked him to tick off a few specifics, and he dutifully did. "Left 4 Dead has passages that are incredibly scary. Silent Hill is great, and Shadow of the Colossus was incredibly moving. There are Call of Duty moments that are better than any war movie." Bilson interrupted at that one. "Wait until they ride the bus in the first level of Homefront!" As for del Toro's inSane, Bilson says, "we're only focusing on the game right now, and whatever happens later happens later. But we're building an incredible world together that we will be talking about more later on." We'll look forward to it.
Red Faction movie delayed to May 2011
Better re-mark those calendars. SyFy's Red Faction: Origins movie, originally slated for next March, isn't coming out until May. That's according to a tweet from THQ CEO Danny Bilson, who says that the company started prep work on the film this week, will be shooting in January and that the finished product "airs in May with game release." "Game release," of course, means Red Faction: Armageddon, which recently got pushed back to May. Hopefully those ostriches they're using don't get too cold out there on the Martian landscape during filming.
THQ to announce 'one core Kinect game soon'
The Kinect launch was pretty much dominated by one third-party publisher: Ubisoft. Despite plenty of announcements at TGS and that Star Wars game, there isn't much on the docket from the bigger third-party devs. THQ's Danny Bilson promised on Twitter earlier today that would change. "We will be announcing one Core Kinect game soon," Bilson wrote in a missive. This followed an earlier tweet where Bilson promised a "big game announcement" at the upcoming VGAs, but it's likely he's referring to the Guillermo Del Toro game (again) and not this Kinect title. Regardless, we've followed up with THQ for comment and will let you know what we find out.
Bilson gets to the heart of the new THQ in IGDA Leadership keynote
Keynoting the IGDA Leadership Forum last week, THQ "core games" boss Danny Bilson not only reflected on the publisher's steady turnaround (despite a recent slump), but also focused on its goals for the future. Previously reported updates from Bilson on Homefront, Darksiders 2 and Guillermo Del Toro's project, however, were just mere nuggets from his near hour-long presentation, which kicked off with a retelling of his personal journey from non-interactive media to games. Back in the late-90s, Bilson recalled, he was working in television in Vancouver -- specifically, on Viper and The Sentinel. During a business trip, a stranger sitting next to him on the plane asked about the scripts Bilson happened to be reviewing. That stranger was Don Mattrick, who was president of Electronic Arts at the time. Bilson would eventually join EA, launching his career in video games.
THQ details Homefront sequel, novel tie-in and potential miniseries
An upcoming novel will follow a tabloid reporter in L.A. during the first moments of the North Korean attack on the US. It's the first salvo in THQ's "transmedia" strategy for Homefront, which is about "building worlds first," then having "different media access that world in interesting ways," Danny Bilson said during his keynote speech at IGDA Leadership Forum 2010. THQ is hoping also to do a miniseries for the game following the contents of the book -- it'd be on SyFy, we imagine -- but even more interesting are Bilson's comments regarding the next game. "The sequel has new features and doesn't even deal with the same characters," Bilson revealed. "It takes place on the other side of the Mississippi -- nobody knows what's going on over there because the North Koreans have irradiated the Mississippi with radioactive iodine and nobody can cross it without a hazmat suit. It's very interesting stuff." Bilson says the book will be available for purchase a month before the game launches. HomeFront is currently slated for March 2011.
Darksiders 2 will star new character, take place alongside events of first game
Cue that one sad song ... During his keynote speech at the IGDA Leadership Forum, THQ wunderkind Danny Bilson revealed some info on Darksiders 2, the sequel to Joe Mad's inspired take on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Instead of taking up the mantle of War again, the sequel will offer a new playable character -- one of the other three horsemen of the apocalypse, perhaps? "When we do the Darksiders sequel, it'll be a different character and take place simultaneously to the other story," Bilson said. "There's only one apocalypse -- I couldn't very well have four different apocalypses, one for each rider. It has some new mechanics and some very robust features that differentiate it a lot and grow it from the first game because you have to build on the first one, you can't repeat it. I think that's very important in franchise-building." It tied into the rest of the keynote, which revolved around Bilson and THQ's take on sequels and how to approach them when trying to create franchises. Look for our full write-up of Bilson's candid keynote speech soon.
Guillermo Del Toro's THQ game to be revealed during VGAs
"You've heard rumors of us working with a big film director who is actually a big gamer," THQ core games EVP Danny Bilson said during his keynote at the IGDA Leadership Forum. Uh, dude, heads-up: those aren't rumors any more. As it turns out, we'll finally get an official announcement about Guillermo del Toro's THQ project during the Spike VGAs next month. "He's a gamer who wants to make a great game," said Bilson about director Guillermo del Toro, "and has very interesting points of view and is partnered very closely with myself and my writing partner, Paul." Bilson revealed that THQ "will be announcing the game title and the studio and all of that on the VGA awards in about a month." If you're late to the party, catch up on some of our previous coverage here. Del Toro's game will have Lovecraftian themes to it ---- which is great, because we've always felt there should be more awesome games about Cthulhu.
Saints Row XBLA aiming to be 'more unique,' says THQ's Bilson
Not much is known about THQ's downloadable Saints Row title, save for the fact that it's in development for Xbox Live and is also likely to land on Nintendo's 3DS in some form. In a new interview with Shacknews, THQ's head of core games, Danny Bilson, alluded to some changes made to the title's direction and its dependence on a larger game. "That one is changed. It's changed," said Bilson. "It's going to be a different--we actually changed the design and are doing something more unique. This is just creative but we wound up feeling the game we were building was too much like a section of Saint's Row that you could play in Saint's Row." Bilson added that this Saints Row would feature an "original game mechanic" that would aid it in supporting the larger franchise. THQ's approach, then, seems to diverge from the one that spawned Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, a downloadable prequel to Capcom's zombie masher, Dead Rising 2. Capcom called its $5 teaser, composed of gameplay similar to that found in the retail follow-up, its "most dynamic sales weapon" ever, having sold over 500,000 units by the middle of September. Bilson, however, believes "you don't want to play something that you can play within the main experience." You might be inclined to agree, but only because there's another dynamic sales weapon pointing at your head.
Homefront novel announced, part of 'vast transmedia strategy'
The Homefront novel, which was passively mentioned last week during THQ's Montreal Studio presser, has officially been announced, with an "early 2011" publishing date. Written by John Milius (Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now) and Raymond Benson (Metal Gear Solid and James Bond novels), the novel is designed to flesh out the world of Homefront, which finds United States citizens dealing with a North Korean occupation. The novel is part of the "vast transmedia strategy" for the franchise -- according to THQ's Danny Bilson -- so expect the standard graphic novels and coloring books to follow. Okay, maybe not the latter, unless it's bundled with a big red crayon for all the blood. Although no further transmedia projects have been announced, let's be clear about how ambitious THQ can get in these situations: Red Faction is getting a TV movie on SyFy that could potentially turn into a full series.
THQ exec appreciates North Korea's cooperation in selling Homefront fiction
THQ's EVP of Core Games Danny Bilson deftly diffused a potentially explosive question regarding Homefront's cultural sensitivity toward militaristic North Korea today during THQ Montreal's press event, by emphasizing that the game is "speculative fiction." Bilson noted that, thanks to North Korea scaring the international community over the past couple years through its nuclear testing and sinking of a South Korean ship, that "they've been really cooperative" in selling the game's world. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, he said, "And we really appreciate the regime in North Korea for supporting Homefront the way they have." Bilson explains that when THQ made the decision to go with North Korea as the antagonist in the game, that it consulted with East Asia experts in Washington D.C. to sell the premise. He notes that the timeline trailer released during E3 shows the result of that "speculative fiction that comes out of paranoid theory." The company will also release a Homefront novel early next year that follows a reporter in 2027 and explains the world even deeper. Bilson does believe Homefront is a "global game" because it's not important that it takes place in America; the story is about a country being occupied, and it draws its inspiration from other countries being occupied throughout history. Bilson concluded, "There is a reality to [Homefront], but it's by filtering history through a future fiction that gives some sense of gravity to a fantasy."
Bilson: Homefront's 'emphasis is on multiplayer'
During THQ's Montreal event, core games EVP Danny Bilson categorized its FPS Homefront as a primarily multiplayer experience, though "the single-player is extraordinary," he said (of course). "The emphasis is on multiplayer," Bilson explained, "but with an awesome movie to play through on the other side." The reason one even has to be emphasized over the other is, of course, budget. "To get to the old things we used to play, like the 20 hours of single-player," he said, "you'd have to sacrifice, perhaps, the depth of the multiplayer, or have a five-year schedule and unlimited budget." The two portions of the game take place in different settings and involve very different gameplay, with the single-player game involving guerrilla warfare and the multiplayer involving all-out army vs. army combat. Bilson estimated that the single-player portion of the game -- the "awesome movie" -- will run between six and ten hours, which makes it more of an awesome miniseries. The multiplayer is "hopefully in the hundred-hour range." That means it's going to be really heartbreaking if the game is changed at the last minute to be about an invasion from the North Opposing Force.%Gallery-104301%
THQ Montreal will be a two team studio working on 'great, original IP'
During a press event in Montreal this morning, THQ Core Games veep – and certified Straight Shooter™ – Danny Bilson took the opportunity to not only welcome Assassin's Creed designer Patrice Désilets to the newly created THQ Montreal studio, but to also tell the assembled press that THQ would be "building a second large-scale game in that studio. It's a two-game studio." To fuel that type of production, Bilson said that THQ Montreal will be the "largest studio in the THQ system," hiring as many as 400 developers over the next five years. If we didn't know better, we'd guess that the majority of Montreal is inhabited exclusively by game developers at this point. "We look forward to filling this place with some of the best game makers in the world," Bilson said. "Starting with Patrice and his team and followed by a second team that I haven't announced yet and we're not going to." When asked if the studio would be working on the unnamed Guillermo Del Toro project, Bilson teased, "Have we announced that? Uh, no." Instead, Bilson offered the following: "They'll be awesome core games" and "great, original IP." He did concede, "We do look to see what the transmedia opportunities are to make the games more important." While that's not quite the same thing as saying, "Yes, Guillermo Del Toro is making a movie and a game and there will be comic books and action figures," we'll all pretend. Ultimately, Bilson wanted everyone to understand that this morning's announcements – centered around the new studio and the hiring of Patrice Désilets – are intended to continue to weave the story of a new THQ. "We've all been in beautiful facilities at many companies that turned out a 68-rated Metacritic game," Bilson said. "It's not about the facility but the people we put in the facility." We might not know who's leading up this second team, but with recent hires like Désilets and partnerships with developers like Tomonobu Itagaki, we're increasingly bullish on THQ.
Patrice Desilets to head up new IP at THQ Montreal
Patrice Désilets, former creative director of Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2, has found a home at the newly opened THQ Montreal. According to an official announcement made this morning, THQ "has the exclusive option to have Désilets work from the new Montreal studio beginning summer 2011." Désilets will provide impetus to a new development team that will create original franchises for THQ. According to Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President of THQ's Core Games, "We expect calendar 2011 to be a watershed year for THQ, and adding developers like Patrice helps ensure our focus on new IP and great games charted by leading industry artists." Other artists that are set to collaborate with THQ on its aggressive demand for new IP include Tomonobu Itagaki, who is currently working on Devil's Third with his own Valhalla Studios, and film director Guillermo del Toro, who has an unannounced horror project lined up. [Image source: Gamersglobal]
Red Faction: Armageddon's destruction with a purpose detailed in dev diaries
Red Faction: Guerrilla's nano forge gun could disintegrate objects large and small, but did you know it could also rebuild them? Apparently in Red Faction: Armageddon, the nano forge will gain the ability to recreate structures out of thin air, allowing for the construction (and, likely, subsequent destruction) of buildings, walkways, and other such objects in the underground world of Mars. Finally, destruction with meaning! THQ executive VP Danny Bilson and Volition creative director Jacques Hennequet spend the majority of two dev diaries explaining how this -- among many other new features -- will work in next March's release. Head past the break for both.
Report: Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro in talks with THQ
Writing on LA Times' Hero Complex blog, Ben Fritz reports that film director Guillermo del Toro is looking to forge a partnership with Red Faction publisher THQ. Though del Toro, who directed Pan's Labyrinth and almost directed The Hobbit, has refrained from naming the custodian of his video game vision, he recently admitted that he was in talks with a "big company" to collaborate on "technically and narratively very interesting" projects. THQ is no stranger to films and has adopted an enthusiastic stance on their intersection with games. The publisher is currently preparing an original sci-fi (and Syfy) movie based on the Red Faction franchise, set to debut alongside the latest game in March 2011. THQ's Core Games VP, Danny Bilson, has expressed belief in the "Hollywood model" of IP ownership, "which is that, the bigger the artist, the more important, the more successful they are, the bigger share they get." Bilson has been aggressive in acquiring high-profile talent and products for THQ (such as Devil's Third, led by Tomonobu Itagaki), and predicted that the company's lineup of partnerships would impress us over the next few months. "Wait till you see our announcements! You're going to go, 'oh my God'."
THQ spinning off another WWE series
THQ has another WWE game on the way, joining its WWE Smackdown vs. Raw series and the new WWE All Stars (pictured). According to THQ's Danny Bilson, the new WWE "extension" shares All Stars' focus on accessibility over Smackdown vs. Raw's detailed ... simulation of simulated wrestling. "Next year you'll see another new extension [of the WWE license]," Bilson told CVG, "that's just as exciting as All Stars, but a little different. We're not talking about that yet." He said that the plan was to release a WWE game every six months (presumably for many years to come), alternating between Smackdown vs. Raw, All Stars and this new series -- the latter two being "more friendly, easier and less simmy than Smackdown vs. Raw." There's a fourth franchise too, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw Online, but that's intended solely for the Asian market. If you're thinking that the "new" series will feature WWE wrestlers driving in cars and shooting at each other -- THQ tried that one already. Our wild guess: the new game's gonna really Kinect players to the Moves.
THQ's Danny Bilson reveals the universe of Red Faction media
THQ's Core Games VP Danny Bilson contributed to a panel with a few Syfy execs this past weekend at Comic-Con, along with Andrew Kreisberg, writer for the upcoming Red Faction: Origins movie. The panel was about "transmedia" in general and Red Faction specifically, with THQ being a prime example of a company trying to tell (and sell) a universe's stories across multiple platforms and media. The way it's all going to work is that Red Faction Guerilla starred Alex Mason, Red Faction: Origins will star his son and daughter Jake and Myra, and then Red Faction Armageddon will star Darius Mason, Alex's grandson. Kriesberg revealed that the movie will feature "three sort of main factions," and that "they're all sort of right. Everyone thinks this is their planet, and that's what makes the drama." Kriesberg shared one line from the movie that he believes wraps up a major theme: "It's hard to win a war, because the winners have to clean up." Bilson also mentioned the upcoming downloadable game, and said that one of the factions from the movie, the White Faction, will have "elements" in the XBLA and PSN title. Bilson said that THQ's got "two more of these" transmedia properties "in the hopper" -- we presume he means Saints Row and de Blob, both previously revealed to be in progress.
THQ still focused on owning IP the 'Hollywood' way
THQ's competitors -- namely EA and Activision -- have recently landed publishing deals with high-profile developers, such as Respawn, Bungie and Insomniac, by allowing the studios to own their new game franchises. And while THQ offers its own "Partners" program, the company is still focused on owning franchises. "I believe in the Hollywood model, which is that, the bigger the artist, the more important, the more successful they are, the bigger share they get," VP Danny Bilson explained to IndustryGamers. "But you know know, most of the biggest talents in Hollywood don't own their IPs. It doesn't work that way. My job coming to this company was to build an IP library, which builds value in THQ. So that means having a developer own the IP becomes a deal-breaker." According to Bilson, THQ had discussions with Respawn's West and Zampella; undoubtedly, Bilson's position made an offer impossible. While Bilson offers no flexibility in this particular regard, he believes the company has still acquired strong talent by offering "an absolutely better place to work." At this year's E3, the publisher surprised many with the announcement of Devil's Third, a new action IP from the Itagaki-led Valhalla Studios. According to Bilson, other high-profile partnerships will be announced "over the next six months," and he noted, "you're going to go, 'oh my God.'" Considering the incredible turnaround of THQ's portfolio under Bilson's tenure, it's difficult not to share his excitement.
WAR40K courts 1 million users, WoW players
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/THQ_wants_1_million_subscribers_for_Warhammer_40k_Online'; Danny Bilson, core games vice president at THQ, is rather excited by the prospects of Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online. In an interview at CVG, the executive talks about both the potential of the underlying intellectual property as well as the game itself. The title, currently in development at Vigil Games and fresh off a crowd-pleasing E3 trailer reveal, looks to appeal to a broad base of MMORPG games, starting with Blizzard fans. "I've spent lots of time in WoW. As a WoW fanatic, I'm going to go right to 40K as soon as it comes out. It's very friendly to the WoW player," Bilson says. In addition to aiming for the current market-share top dog, Bilson lets on that WAR40K is looking for approximately a million players in order to be successful. "They've got 14 million players! Gimme a million and I'm good! We're real good at a million, right?" We don't need everybody to migrate. We just need some of them -- and I'm full confident we're going to get them," he said.
Red Faction downloadable game due before Armageddon
THQ is going to deliver some emergency Red Faction to those fans unable to hold out until the March 2011 release of Armageddon. Danny Bilson, THQ's VP of core games, told CVG to expect a downloadable Red Faction game to hit Xbox Live Arcade and PSN in the interim between Guerrilla and Armageddon. "There's going to be a Red Faction Arcade game that ships about three or four months before Armageddon," Bilson said. "What's interesting is that we will sell it to the fans, it will have content you can download that is TV show-related, it will build up to the new game and also we can use it to drive pre-orders, too; we can give codes and aspects of it, we can give the whole thing away." The TV show to which the game will relate is likely Syfy's Red Faction program, produced as part of a larger multi-franchise partnership between the cable network and THQ. Bilson said that the supplementary downloadable game strategy will be in place for other games. "You'll see it on Red Faction, you'll see it on Saint's Row and a couple of others," he said, adding that a Red Faction comic book was also in the works. Bilson also announced plans to reveal plans this December for "the biggest trans-media play anyone has ever done" related to the Saints Row franchise.
