Neill Blomkamp is Now Developing a Sci-Fi Video Games with Gunzilla Games
Neill Blomkamp, the director of films such as District 9 and Elysium is now getting into the world of video games. The filmmaker is currently working with developer Gunzilla Games to create a game that’s described as a “AAA multiplayer shooter that aims to weave in narrative elements.” This is one of many games that he will be working on.
This is new territory for the filmmaker and he will be taking on the role of Chief Visionary Officer and his job is to act as an "an egalitarian version of being a film director.” He will also be working with different parts of the team to decide the best routes forward for design, audio, storytelling, and more. Blomkamp says:
"It comes from a place of bringing directorial skills that would be along the lines of the films that I've done before to the aesthetic of the game.
“The difference [from directing a film] is not acting like a single point that guides the creative team. It’s making sure that you’re integrated into the team in a real way. I can come in with a very definitive point of view, but it has to work on two levels. It has to be accepted by the greater team as the right creative direction to go in. And it also has to be, first and foremost, something that can integrate into the architecture of gameplay in a way that’s beneficial to the game.”
Not much is known about the game that Blomkamp is working on, but it will be a sci-fi game set in the near future. That’s obviously familiar territory for Blomkamp, who goes on to talk about how his screenwriting experience will help the development of the game:
“Well, the primary thing no matter how you cut it will be player agency and the ability for players to just interact with it in a shooter environment in a way that hopefully is a really, really cool game to them – which means, in the event of being dropped in and playing, narrative takes a back seat. But if you think of something like Elysium, the amount of forethought to build the world, you may be spending 95% of the time thinking through the worldbuilding in order to get to the 5%, which is the movie that you watch. And I think that you could apply the same sort of mentality where depending on how much backstory and world creation you’re building, you’re going to end up with a more convincing, awesome world to drop the player into. In terms of actual specific narrative, there are also other avenues that players can begin to learn more about things that we’re talking about.”
This has got to be a cool gig for him to be a part of! I’ll be looking forward to seeing what comes of it.
Source: IGN