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Tigon's Ian Stevens: For Hollywood, 'making video games has been the same thing as making action figures'
Running Tigon Studios is a bit of a strange job to have. Ian Stevens, the man in charge, is responsible for not just organizing development talent to make games like this year's Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, but also working with Hollywood. And, unsurprisingly, he says it's a bit of an uphill battle, telling GamesIndustry.biz, "It's really hard to take something that's native to a certain medium and just draw a line, which is what people are usually trying to do [with games based on movies.]" He equates the attention Hollywood has been giving to game versions of its films with "action figures, pictures on cereal boxes, and [themed] pajamas," saying it's just part of the "licensing and merchandising" of a property, rather than creating something unique and well-crafted from the start. Furthermore, Stevens says that the development studios who are working with nothing (think Ben 10) and making something -- anything -- out of it, are the real talent in the industry. "If you gave that team in Newcastle [Midway Newcastle] - through all that they've struggled with, technology, corporate business, all these different things - the kind of opportunity that someone like Valve has," he says, leaving us to postulate on the ending there. We'll let you guys fill that in all by yourselves.
Tigon's Ian Stevens sees an evolving relationship between gaming and Hollywood
No stranger to the Stiq, Tigon Studios head Ian Stevens has been talking Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena post-mortem recently. While speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, though, Stevens discussed the game industry and Hollywood becoming closer bedfellows, mostly due to -- wait for it -- money! Considering the $22 billion gaming made in the US in 2008, we're not exactly surprised when he says, "Hollywood and games, over the next decade, you'll see some really interesting things happen."When asked whether he believes Hollywood's attitude towards gaming has changed over the past five years, he seems somewhat wishy-washy, saying, "It certainly has [but] people in Hollywood struggle to understand the creative decisions that we make." And that's likely how we end up with treasures like 2004's Van Helsing, which Stevens says took precedence over the first Chronicles of Riddick game, Escape From Butcher Bay. How the tables have turned, eh Ian?
Joystiq interview: Ian Stevens, Tigon Studios' head of game production
Ian Stevens has a lot on his plate. Between launching two games this month in Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and Wheelman and working on Vin Diesel's dream game (not to mention two games still in the concept stage named Melkor and Perrone), we think this gentleman could really use a vacation. Busy as he is, he was nice enough to take time out of his schedule last week to speak with us about a few things. Number one on the agenda: What is it exactly that Tigon Studios does? If Starbreeze developed Riddick and Midway Newcastle developed Wheelman, where does Tigon fit into this mess? His answer just might shock you! [Disclaimer: Ian Steven's answer will likely not actually shock you, but you may find it interesting. So there's that.]%Gallery-38368%
Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena trailers to tide you over
For some, the April 7 release of Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena can't come soon enough. To help ease the pain of waiting, we present two new trailers from the game (viewable after the break). The first clip shows our anti-hero storming one of the ship's generators, while the second clip showcases the many enemies that try to get in Riddick's way. Oh, you silly NPCs ...If you want your experience to be extra authentic, shave your head, turn off the lights, and don some shades while watching. Around the office, we call that Vin-O-vision.Source - Generator room gameplaySource - Riddick's enemies vignette
Riddick dev diary drones on about drones
Atari has released a new developer diary video for Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. The video centers around the game's story, which the developers at Starbreeze consider the next chapter in the Chronicles of Riddick saga. The video also spends a great deal of time talking about the drone enemy. The drone is essentially a cyborg with rudimentary AI that can also be controlled remotely. Kind of a crappy life, really.Finally, the video highlights the different ways the game can be played. According to the developers, it's possible to play the game guns blazing or in a stealthier manner. Us, we'll probably opt for the method with the heaviest use of Riddick's razor-sharp "ulak" blades.Check out some new screens in the gallery below.%Gallery-48248%
Thanks to Vin Diesel, Dark Athena has multiplayer
At least that's what Mr. Diesel, owner of Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena co-developer Tigon Studios, told G4TV's X-Play this week. When asked if his studio's upcoming remake of 2004's Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay will feature online multiplayer, he had this to say: "Big props to the whole team working on this because we were well into production in the game and I begged for some multiplayer component on this and everyone rose to the occasion and created something really compelling."And we must say, between the recently released Riddick demo on Xbox Live and Diesel's starring role in Wheelman, the actor turned development studio owner has been making quite a name for himself in the video game industry. Now all we need is a Vin Diesel/50 Cent mashup full of ulaks and exploding ramps. We can dream, can't we?%Gallery-38368%
The Daily Grind: Star-studded studios
Maybe it's just us, but it seems more and more that it's cool for Hollywood, sports, and music stars to openly admit their love of gaming. 10 years ago? Not too many people talking about it. Now? It's everywhere. To add to this, we now have gaming companies started by the rich and famous. There's 38 Studios, owned by Curt Schilling, who has gathered Todd McFarlane and R. A. Salvatore and a hugely talented team to help build Copernicus, the code-name for their very-under-wraps MMO. Added to that, we have the news yesterday that Vin Diesel's company, Tigon Studios is saying that their previously-claimed RTS will actually be an MMO entry. (Or perhaps a true MMORTS as those are fairly rare.) It's definitely interesting to see.This morning we thought we'd ask you a fairly simple question about these two - will their star status, or star lineup, make you more interested in trying their respective games out when they hit the shelves? Does star status matter to you at all? Does it make you less interested in trying them out? Or do you just not care one way or the other about who makes a game, and will only really bother trying it if people you trust say it's fun/it has a free trial/etc?
Vin Diesel's Tigon Studios developing ancient world MMO: Barca B.C.
Have you ever hoped to play a massively multiplayer online game set in the ancient world? What about playing a Carthaginian soldier fighting the Romans in the Punic Wars, circa 200 B.C.? Action film star Vin Diesel certainly has, it's his dream game. In fact, he's so taken with the idea that his game company Tigon Studios is developing the Punic Wars MMO, titled Barca B.C., which he announced in an interview with Destructoid's Brad Nicholson.Diesel didn't give many details about the upcoming title, and it's still in an early stage of development. Destructoid reports that Tigon Studios has been working on Barca B.C. for roughly three years, and it could take up to another four years before release, according to Diesel. [Via Kotaku]
Media Molecule, Insomniac head to Nordic Game Con
While last year was marked with a strong Japanese delegation, this year's coterie of speakers at the Nordic Game Conference is more of the Western variety. Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet), Insomniac Games (Resistance series), Tigon Studios (anything that has Vin Diesel in it) and consultancy agency Englobe have all signed up to hold sessions at the conference in Malmö, Sweden on May 19 and 20. Insomniac community manager Ryan Schneider will be there along with Tigon's head of game production Ian Stevens, Englobe founder Tom Edwards and some unnamed reps from Media Molecule. Media Molecule are probably still drawing straws at the moment as they're busy flying off to attend this week's D.I.C.E. Summit and making preparations for next month's Game Developers Conference. It might be a little too early for them to decide who'll be there in May.
The Wheelman shouldn't look fun, trailer proves otherwise
Movie star. Pawned Hollywood story. Slowly dying publisher. Mix these elements into a blender with your favorite liqueur and you're typically going to get "crap in a glass." But, based on the cinematic trailer for The Wheelman the game actually looks entertaining. One part Burnout, two parts Transporter; The Wheelman could shape up to be a solid release if all the stars align in the favor of developer Tigon Studios.And no, we're not going to hate on Vin Diesel in this post because the last time he was involved with a game, things got done right. We will however hate on the dialogue in the trailer, "A good driver knows when to start and knows when to stop." Really? Thanks, The Wheelman! That actually might be the first question on the learner's permit written exam. Not exactly brimming with the Hollywood toughness their script writer probably thought it was when he wrote it. But, we digress.
Chronicles of Riddick picked up by Atari, now has brand new campaign
Atari today announced that it will publish The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena from Tigon Studios and The Darkness developer Starbreeze Studios. The title was previously announced as a graphically enhanced remake of the original Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay that would also feature a new chapter and multiplayer support. According to the press release, not only will the game include the remake of the original campaign, but the new chapter has now been expanded to include "a brand new full-length campaign" as well as the previously announced online multiplayer support. We're just going to guess that might be why the game missed its original winter 2007 release date.The newly revamped Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is expected to release in spring 2009. Check out a hi-res version of the first screenshot by clicking the image above.
GC 2008: New trailer, screens for The Wheelman (not The Assassin!)
That's right! As Vin Diesel so eloquently points out, he's a wheelman, not an assassin. Of course, this dramatic scene takes place just after he's mowed down countless bad guys and destroyed half the city in a dramatic and collision-filled car chase. It's all a bit frantic, frankly, but at least we have The Wheelman's lead mission designer, Mark Thompson, to guide us through the broken glass and mangled metal. Don't forget to check out fresh screenshots in the gallery below!%Gallery-30183%
Confirmed: Riddick remake is really real
Uncovered last week, the remake of Chronicles of Riddick for new-gen consoles has been confirmed for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. As previously revealed, the game will be titled Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. The game will receive a graphical face-lift and will feature a new single-player episode that takes place after the eponymous escape from Butcher Bay. Not only that, but the game will also feature online multiplayer. We must note, as does Joystiq, that the developer's commentary mode that was hinted at last week is not mentioned in the Sierra press release. Here's hoping it makes it into the final game.Assault on Dark Athena is expected to arrive by the end of the year.[Via Joystiq]
Vin Diesel is... The Wheelman!
While we might want to laugh at Vin Diesel, mostly 'cause his name's funny and he played a nanny in The Pacifier, the reality is his Tigon Studios was responsible for Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, one of the best video game movie adaptations to date. So the announcement that Vin and co. are working on a new project is met with a little less cynicism than similar announcements would otherwise be.ComingSoon.net reports that Tigon Studios and Midway games are creating The Wheelman video game and Tigon Films and MTV Films are making the movie, to be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Who's going to play the titular wheelman? Why, Mr. Diesel of course, who had this to say about the project:"With 'The Wheelman' we have created the first integrated franchise being launched for both the gaming and film industries... In collaborating with Midway, MTV and Paramount, Tigon Studios has brought together an incredible team to execute this project."The rest of report finds the different participants waxing on about how this new model--and this new franchise--will irrevocably change the very concept of entertainment forever. [Via Xbox Circle]
