Film and media giant Lionsgate has announced intent to enter the gaming world.
Lionsgate is bringing in Peter Levin of Nerdist Industries for a variety of interactive media ventures, such as “including incubation of new properties, investment in existing games and digital media vehicles and leveraging Lionsgate’s franchises and other branded properties into the gaming space.”
Additionally, in Lionsgate’s press release about the hire discusses that the company suggests that video game movies might be on the table:
“Gaming has become one of the most explosive growth areas of the content business, and Peter’s mandate will be to build a portfolio of premium digital properties as we expand our leadership in films and television programming into digital content as well.”
– Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer
This doesn’t give a definite answer, this sort of press release isn’t going to make any dollar promises that Lionsgate can’t cash. But, it does set the production studio in good position to make (hopefully good) video games based off of existing film properties.
What Lionsgate Films Might Become Games?
There are a few obvious choices and a few underdogs from the Lionsgate catalogue that could make for great games – well, if done well. I’d love to see Lionsgate team up Telltale and take a crack at some of the more story-driven IPs. Here’s a quick list of some of the most promising films that Lionsgate could capitalize off of:
- Saw
- Kick-Ass
- Dogma
- Hunger Games
- American Psycho
- Expendables
- Hostel
- Fido
- Crank
- Bangkok Dangerous
- Repo! The Genetic Opera
- Transporter
- Dredd
- Cabin in the Woods
In an era where movie video games are starting to not suck (see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, Transformers: War For Cybertron, Chronicles of Riddick: Butchers Bay, the Adventure Time games) it will be interesting to see what Lionsgate might do with some of these existing titles and franchises.
