18 MCV556_final:Layout 1
22/9/09
15:05
Page 1
18 MCV 25/09/09
WWW.MCVUK.COM
IN MY OPINION…
Casting call Funnyman, author and former games journalist Danny Wallace is set to appear as a character in Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed title. Here, writing exclusively for MCV, he explains how he got involved…
I STARTED MY career in the early ‘90s with work experience at Sega Power magazine. I went there basically saying, “I’ll do anything you like. I’ll alphabetise things that don’t need alphabetising, I’ll make tea for people who’ve already got tea.” And they said, “Alright, in you get.” Then one day a reviewer got ill, and I was asked if I’d like to try reviewing a game. I played the thing to death for about 48 hours, wrote the review, and was called into the editor’s office. I thought I was going to get the sack – but then they said “Do you want to do some more?” So I started writing for Total and Super Play and GamesMaster and all these other games mags.
Comedian Danny Wallace was photographed from every angle to digitally transport him into Assassin’s Creed II. It’s a stunt Ubisoft is using to promote the title
I was a massive gaming geek. Games have always been a big part of my life; I left them for a while, but now I’ve returned to playing them. When I was approached about being in a game many years later, I was certainly very interested. I’d done voice-overs before, but never as a character, and certainly never in a video game. I usually just get to say slogans like “Give your pizza a kick!’, but I slowly realised that I couldn’t really get away with that for the entire
“
game – see ‘Talent Hunt’] sent the script over. “This role could’ve been written for you, you’re perfect!” said Manab. I opened it up and it described the character as ‘a sad, nerdy, angry, lonely man’. Thanks, Manab. Without giving too much away, as my character is an expert on Renaissance Italy my lines included a lot of Italian names. I think I got away with the pronunciations though. I’ve met Italians before, and I like pizza and Pepperami (the finest Italian food). So I was well prepared.
I started my career working at Sega Power. Video games have always been a big part of my life. Danny Wallace
”
duration of a game. I’ve modeled the character of Shaun Hastings on the broadcaster Danny Wallace – he has a very similar voice. I was a little bit dubious when Ubisoft’s Manab Roy [responsible for getting Wallace in the
Also, the voice director had recordings of a particularly gruff-sounding Italian man pronouncing all the tricky words, so I was able to use that for reference. I was given quite a lot of freedom to improvise, which I hope helps to bring the character of Shaun to life. He has a slightly shorter temper now than he did in the original script, and is perhaps slightly more sarcastic. So if gamers like being belittled by a slightly nerdy man in glasses, Assassin’s Creed II is the game for them.
“We’re really happy that the decision has proven the right one. Danny has been brilliant to work with – his great wit, improvisation skills and understanding of games blew away the script writer and producer, and his enthusiasm to help out whenever and wherever he can has been amazing. At one point we had to record some last-minute pick-ups, and despite being in LA for a few days and then straight off to cover the Edinburgh Festival, he was willing to come directly from the station to the studio on his way home one evening. As a celebrity, he’s popular with media, very well respected for his books, radio
and TV work, and is a well-connected chap in terms of other celebs as well. “As for the marketing side of things, we’ve already had mainstream coverage dedicated to the announcement. Two low-key studio interview videos released on YouTube have received over 40,000 hits within a couple of weeks – and these are not even Danny Wallace fans.” Plus, with its interest piqued using non-games talent to boost both game content and the marketing, Ubisoft says that this is just the start of new ways to use celebrity-level exposure for its titles. Adds Roy: ”We will always keep an open mind to who we can involve in our games, and always try and involve talent that best reflects our games and brand values. And hopefully come release Danny will have proven a hit.”
TALENT HUNT USING CELEBRITIES like Danny Wallace in Assassin’s Creed II is a clever marketing stunt on Ubisoft’s part, putting a novel spin on using endorsements to score credibility. But it wouldn’t have happened if not for a chance meeting between former Ubisoft PR man Manab Roy (pictured) and the writer at the video games BAFTAs. A collaboration between the publisher’s UK team and its Montreal studio ensured Wallace was on board for a role in the sequel. Getting him in the game involved an audition and then two days of recording sessions in London with the Montreal voice director, plus a direct-patch to the studio so the the script writer and other people on the production team could help direct the performance. Wallace
also had to spend a day at a technicalphotoshoot in Islington to create the digital version of him. Getting Danny Wallace to take part served a dual function, explains Ubisoft’s Roy: “This was as much a marketing decision as it was a casting one. There had to be a solid marketing and PR justification for his involvement, but equally he had to be a good fit for the role. And, ideally for us in PR, he had to be the kind of celebrity who would enjoy the involvement and process, rather than see it as another source of income or a chore.