Here is the news from ign:
Interplay Entertainment finally told the world its worst kept secret today -- In conjunction with developer Shiny Entertainment, the Irvine, Ca-based company now officially owns the rights to create The Matrix in videogame form for an unnamed set of next generation platforms.
In a press release issue early Wednesday morning, Interplay announced its plans to issue games that encompass "current and future interactive gaming platforms" based on Warner Brothers\' science fiction/action film The Matrix. Although Interplay would not confirm which platforms the game would land on, The Matrix is likely to appear on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the PC, as both Shiny and Interplay have in the past expressed strong interest in publishing on these platforms in the future. Nintendo\'s GameCube and Game Boy Advanced also seem probable guesses as well.
"This is going to be a big project," said Dave Perry, president, Shiny Entertainment. "It\'s probably the most kick-ass project in the industry right now. I am personally excited to be working with these guys (Larry and Andy Wachowski) and I am truly impressed with their strong interest and passion in making a high-quality game. I\'m working directly with them, I mean, we have complete and utter access to the making of the movie. We have total access to everything. You can go ahead and guess what you want as to what that entails, but this is not a little game. It\'s huge. I haven\'t been this titillated or involved in a game since Earthworm Jim, which was the last game I actually worked on. On The Matrix, I\'m the lead designer on the project."
A Reuters/Variety story yesterday seems to have prompted Interplay into making its long-awaited announcement. The story, which claimed that Interplay had snagged the license, and that it may have paid anywhere from $8 million to $10 million for the license (which is likely to encompass at least three games), confirmed rumors that started as early as November 1999 (see our story The Matrix Is Coming").
Although Interplay has not yet announced what kind of game The Matrix will be, it\'s not hard to fathom the outcome. It\'s believed to be an action-adventure game, featuring lots of high-powered weaponry, 3D fighting, and using Shiny\'s latest engine technology. The game should share strong parallels with the movie The Matrix 2, but won\'t strictly follow the game\'s story or plot. The movie The Matrix is slated for a late 2002 release, and the game is believed to release simultaneously with it.
Nearly a year and a half ago, in an online chat on the site Whatisthematrix.com, Larry and Andy Wachowski, the brothers who wrote and directed the film, revealed their thoughts on the future game. "If things work out the way we want them to, the videogame will be released when the next movie comes out and it will actually have something to do with the movie."
With few exceptions (Goldeneye being the biggest), games based on movie licenses have stunk. Perry told IGNPS2 that he was working hard to break that tradition with The Matrix. "This is not a licensing deal, it\'s a collaboration," he said emphatically. "We\'re going to give this our best shot."
Currently, there are two sequels to the movie The Matrix -- 2 and 3 -- official sources have said. The two movies will be shot simultaneously in Oakland, Ca. Lawrence Fishburne (Morpheus), Keanu Reeves (Neo), and Carrie Anne Moss (Trinity) are all confirmed to act in them. The immediate sequel will arrive in the year 2002, the brothers said in the interview, in nearly two years, the perfect amount of time for a game to be developed.
About one year ago, we spoke with Dave Perry about the game The Matrix. "I can\'t say much, but Andy and Larry love playing games and they know what they want to do. They really care. And they want total control over it. I was actually offered the chance to make a Matrix game about two years ago, but I was too busy with Messiah. I\'ve spoken with them again since the movie came out, but now there are lots of people in the running. I\'d love to make it. But deals in Hollywood take a long time to complete, and it\'ll be a long time before any of this gets settled."
Well, now that things are indeed settled -- thanks to Interplay finally admitting its great new license -- we can only hope that Shiny delivers a great game that\'s on time.
SO IT\'S OFFICIAL THE MATRIX IS COMIN FOR YOU......
Topic: Interplay Officially Announces The Matrix (Read 678 times)