Jackson Wants In On Games
Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings, has always had a bit of a thing for video games. His excitement over the King Kong licensed products (all questions of enjoyment aside) and his insistence at having a hand in creating them, has earned him the honours of being thought one of the most game friendly faces in Hollywood.
As it turns out, Jackson’s interest in the industry was not just a passing fancy. In a special panel discussion at X06, also featuring game industry celebrities Peter Molyneux, Frank O’Connor, and Greg Zeschuck, Jackson delved into the future of story-telling, interactivitiy and video games. Following the recent announcement that he and writing partner (and fellow Oscar winner) Fran Walsh would be creating two new interactive entertainment series exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, Jackson talked about his new game studio, Wingnut Interactive, as well as the deal with Microsoft, stating that they would be working on an original chapter of the Halo franchise as well as a yet to be announced project. Jackson seems to be quite the fan of the Halo series, seeing that he is also the director for 2008’s cinematic release.
The accolade laden director was most complimentary of gaming and the future of the industry and even went so far as to say that he has
got to the stage now where I just end up catching something on DVD and I’m more excited about games coming out in the next 2-3 months than films,” said Peter Jackson, director of Lord of The Rings and founder of Wingnut Interactive, an offshoot of his movie studio. “That created an awareness in me of the shift in entertainment options out there, and if I’m feeling that others are too.
I’d like to liken the increasing awareness of games as an entertainment medium to the cross-pollination of the music and movie industries in the late 90’s and early this century. Professionals from both spheres dipped their hands in the talent pool to broaden their own exposure and activities, and I don’t see it being much different than J-Lo appearing on screen and on air. P-Jack may be one of the first in a long line of movie makers who want to try their hands at game producing, and vice versa. Perhaps the injection of a different approach and perspective will be just what the industry needs to keep up its explosive growth; conversely, perhaps we’ll end up with the gaming world’s version of Gigli…
Via | TeamXbox
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