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Real-time revolution
Image: e set of 1899 © Alex Forge & Netflix.
Are games and television and film coming closer together? After years of developing along very separate lines, there are more signs than ever that these distinct worlds are starting to intertwine.
or years, the video games industry has developed completely independently of the film and television business – with very little crossover of talent or production technology.
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unit of Skydance Media to build what it describes as “a narrative-driven, blockbuster action-adventure game, featuring a completely original story and take on the Marvel Universe.”
And it’s has done so very successfully too. The video games market is on track to pass the USD200 billion mark by 2023, according to Newzoo figures. For comparison, the global film industry first hit USD100 billion in 2019.
However, the most interesting signs of convergence are taking place at the production level – whether that’s television companies helping games tell narrative stories or visual effects companies embracing gaming technology to create film and television content.
But there are signs that these very separate worlds may be starting to converge. At a corporate level, there are signs of change. Netflix officially unveiled its plans to enter the video game market in July, and soon after acquired game developer Night School Studio. Initially, the streamer will start with mobile games, seeing it as a new content category that will help it attract and retain customers. Also in July, UK broadcaster ITV invested in mobile games firm Live Tech Games. Disney’s Marvel, meanwhile, recently partnered with the new-media
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Best known for producing television shows such as Horrible Histories, Lion Television, for example, has been working for the past three years with Xbox Game Studios’ World’s Edge Studio and Relic Entertainment on strategy game Age of Empires IV, which was released at the end of October. Age of Empires IV has drawn upon Lion’s expertise in making factual shows to produce 50 short films which help provide historical context for players throughout the game about conflicts such as the Battle of Hastings or the 100 Years War.
