Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Video Games

  • Activision Locks Down ‘Crash Bandicoot’ Movie and TV Trademark

    Activision Locks Down ‘Crash Bandicoot’ Movie and TV Trademark

    The video game adaptation gold rush has claimed its next massive mascot. Activision has officially locked down a European Union trademark for Crash Bandicoot explicitly covering motion picture films and television programs.

    While the iconic, spinning marsupial has spent the last few years stuck in a gaming hiatus since the release of Crash 4 and the multiplayer title Crash Team Rumble, this Hollywood pivot signals that Xbox and Activision are ready to treat the character like a bona fide multimedia star.

    This legal confirmation injects immediate credibility into a long-dormant rumor mill. Industry insiders have long whispered that an animated Crash Bandicoot series was in early development for Netflix. While those rumors faded when the studio went quiet, community analysts note that the initial trademark application was filed just weeks before those specific streaming leaks first started making the rounds. Following the historic, billion-dollar theatrical success of The Super Mario Bros. films and the massive critical acclaim of streaming hits like Fallout, Microsoft and Activision are eager to capitalize on their massive catalog of legacy mascots.

    Because animation and film pipelines move at a notoriously slow pace, don’t expect a trailer to drop tomorrow. Optimistically, if a series or movie is actively being storyboarded right now, a realistic release window wouldn’t open until late 2027 or 2028.

    Crash Bandicoot was the original, unofficial mascot of the PlayStation era, defined by his cartoonish, Looney Tunes-style absurdity. By locking down a decade-long trademark for movies and television, Activision is making a statement: they see Crash as a character-first brand that can command an audience without a controller in their hands.

  • ‘Death Stranding’ Film in the Works From Hammerstone Studios, Kojima Productions

    ‘Death Stranding’ Film in the Works From Hammerstone Studios, Kojima Productions

    Death Stranding is coming to the big screen. Following the news that a sequel to the game is in the works, Deadline has revealed a movie based on the first game is in the works. Hideo Kojima’s Kojima Productions has partnered with Barbarian executive producer Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios to develop and produce an adaptation of the game.

    Death Stranding launched in 2019 and went on to sell over 10 million units. It features an all-star cast including Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro and Margaret Qualley. It focuses on Reedus’ character, Sam Bridges, as he is forced to embark on a mission to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America all while carrying humanity’s future in his hands. The movie is expected to introduce new elements and characters within the Death Stranding universe.

    Regarding the partnership between the studios, Kojima expressed his excitement in what he calls a “pivotal moment” for the franchise. “I couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership with Hammerstone Studio. This is a pivotal moment for the franchise and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with them in bringing DEATH STRANDING to the big screen.”

    While Lebovici explained that Death Stranding will be a different type of video game adaptation. It’ll still be a big-budget tentpole, of course, but the producer notes it’ll be far more intimate and grounded than others we’ve seen before. “We are thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to partner with brilliant and iconic Hideo Kojima on his first film adaptation,” he said. “Unlike other big budget tentpole video game adaptations, this will be something far more intimate and grounded. Our goal is to redefine what a video game adaptation could be when you have creative and artistic freedom. This film will be an authentic “Hideo Kojima” production.”

    As of now, there is no writer attached to the project, however, it’s reported the project will now be fast-tracked so that news can change soon.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Marvel and EA Teaming-Up on 2 More Games in Addition to ‘Iron Man’

    Marvel and EA Teaming-Up on 2 More Games in Addition to ‘Iron Man’

    Just last month, we learned that EA developer Motive is busy working on an Iron Man-focused game. Olivier Proulx returns to the world of Marvel after having worked on the game adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy when there still was a deal with Square-Enix to actively develop games. That deal included multiple titles which so far only ended up with the previously mentioned game and the controversial Marvel’s Avengers. They are seemingly hoping to accomplish the same with Electronic Arts, as they have announced they are working on a multi-title collaboration

    Taking to Twitter, Marvel Games has announced a bigger deal with EA which currently means they are working on three games actively for consoles and PC. Iron Man counts as part of that trio of new Marvel titles. There’s no word what the other projects might end up being, but there have also been rumors of a potential Black Panther open-world game that could potentially be part of this deal.

    It’s definitely interesting seeing just how many projects Marvel has been actively working on when it comes to gaming titles Insomniac is still busy working on the sequel to Spider-Man after wrapping up with a midquel focused on Miles Morales. They also surprised many when we got a teaser for a Wolverine-focused game that seems to promise a lot of snikt action. Skydance also has a game that sees Captain America team up with Wakanda’s ruler during World War 2. Marvel Snap has also just recently released online, there seems to be a lot more Marvel heading our way.

    Source: Twitter, ComicBook.com

  • Deadpool Wants to Join Marvel’s ‘Midnight Suns’

    Deadpool Wants to Join Marvel’s ‘Midnight Suns’

    Marvel’s next big video game is just around the corner, and everybody wants to be a part of it. Midnight Suns, the upcoming tactical role-playing game based on the comic book group of the same name, is releasing on most platforms on December 2nd and will feature a wide variety of playable characters for gamers to toy with when it does. The list of names included in the project ranges from classic supernatural members of the titular team, like Ghost Rider and Blade, to more popular Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and Wolverine. One famous character not currently involved, however, is Deadpool, and apparently, he would like to change that.

    In a new video released by the official Midnight Suns Twitter account, temporarily being called #DeadpoolSuns, the Merc With a Mouth addresses fans and asks them to voice their desire for his inclusion in the game. While he has yet to be formally announced as playable, the cinematic footage being released by the project’s own account is a pretty good indicator the studio plans on introducing him to the roster sooner than later.

    Midnight Suns will follow Marvel’s heroes as they combat Lilith, the Mother of Demons, after she’s awoken from eternal slumber by the evil forces of Hydra. If Deadpool does ever make an appearance in the game, it sounds like he might be portrayed by Nolan North, who previously voiced the character in his own solo adventure and multiple other animated projects. He would be one of many actors returning to their iconic role, with Yuri Lowenthal also reprising his role from Insomniac’s Spider-Man and Lyrica Okano getting a second chance at Nico Minoru after playing the character in Marvel Television’s Runaways.

    Source: Twitter

  • What to Expect From the ‘Resident Evil 4’ Remake

    What to Expect From the ‘Resident Evil 4’ Remake

    It’s Summer Game Fest time in the gaming world, which means announcements, news, updates, and a whole lot to look forward to in the near and long term futures in the gaming space. The first major event of the season is now behind us, with PlayStation airing its June State of Play earlier this month. We got plenty of news from third-party developers as well as what to expect to play on the PlayStation VR 2. While there is plenty to comb over, I’d like to take a look at what to expect from the announced lineup. While there was plenty to choose from, I think the most interesting title in terms of speculation to come from the event may just be the remake of Resident Evil 4.

    Resident Evil as a franchise has gone through a massive transformation in recent years, and for good reason. What started as a benchmark zombie-horror franchise quickly rose to mainstream attention after the massive success of the original four games, even spawning multiple film adaptations. However, the franchise was in a slump following Resident Evil 5 & 6, the two games of the franchise that many argue are more action and less horror. When I first began paying critical attention to the games industry, I remember the sentiment towards the franchise being rather low. However, following the massive success and revitalization of the franchise with Resident Evil VIII, from my own experience, the games seem to be more popular than ever, which, of course, spawned re-releases and remakes of the first three games by fan demand. One game in the franchise has always had the attention of gamers more than any other, and that game is Resident Evil 4.

    Resident Evil 4 went through a bit of a development hell of sorts, going through 4 massive iterations before finally releasing in 2005 (one of said iterations would become Devil May Cry, as a fun fact). I won’t go into specifics in this article (but you can read up on the development on Wikipedia) but due to the massive changes made to the game over the course of the development cycle, many fans argue that the game, while delivering a new and refreshed Resident Evil experience, the game could have been even better if it didn’t suffer such a struggle filled development. The remake of Resident Evil 4 could very well be the game’s second chance for an even bigger success.

    Set to release on March 24, 2023, Resident Evil 4 Remake promises to reimagine the game’s storyline while modernizing the game world and gameplay in order to deliver a new experience suitable for the new generation of consoles it is arriving on. Complete with content available for PlayStation VR 2, the game is definitely promising to deliver an entirely new experience, and hopefully one that can learn from the amazing Resident Evil: Village, the newest entry in the franchise.

    While news on the game is still a little sparse, we know that the game will see a change to the original game’s tone and story, but no further details on that have emerged. Based on the trailer, we can expect a darker atmosphere, which hopefully means a lean into the horror aspect that the Resident Evil games are known for, especially considering that while 4 was a massive hit, some fans still consider it to be the reason 5 and 6 fell flat on their face, starting the more actiony vibes and the move away from scary. I suspect we will likely be seeing this game a lot in the upcoming months. We can expect to see more of the game at the upcoming Capcom Showcase set to air on June 13th. Further out, I would bet on the game appearing at whatever is next for PlayStation, considering the strong partnership Sony and Capcom have had on Resident Evil as of late.

  • EA and Respawn Announce Three New Star Wars Games Are In Development

    EA and Respawn Announce Three New Star Wars Games Are In Development

    After the success of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, an action-adventure game following a Jedi after the events of Order 66, it looks like EA and LucasFilm are ready to expand their offerings at Respawn studios.

    Today, EA has announced that Respawn Entertainment have three new Star Wars games that are in development. Jedi Fallen Order’s sequel was previously known to be one of these titles. We still have no title or firm release details, but it is rumored that the game may be coming later this year.

    We also now know of a first person shooter. This game is being led by Peter Hirshman, who previously worked on titles like Titanfall 2, Lego Star Wars, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

    Lastly, it seems as though the third title will be a strategy game co-developed by Respawn and Bit Reactor, a studio founded by ex-Firaxis employees (Civilization, X-COM).

    Star Wars gaming fans rejoice! It looks like after Battlefront II stopped receiving updates, we finally have a new Star Wars FPS to be excited about! More Star Wars games are always a treat, let’s hope we get some solid games out of the amazing team at Respawn.

    Source: EA

  • What to Expect from the Future of Video Game Adaptations and When to Expect It

    What to Expect from the Future of Video Game Adaptations and When to Expect It

    Upcoming video game adaptations.

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