Darryn recently reviewed The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and even though he pretty much loves any super-hero game he summed the game up as “One of the worst Spider-Man games ever made”.
So how did Activision with all their money and talent manage to develop a game that scored a pretty pathetic 4/10 even though it has a great story and world to tie in to?
Well according to the CEO of Activision, Eric Hirshberg, it’s quite simple. The reason Spider-Man was such a terrible game is because they didn’t really want to make it and didn’t put much effort into it. No seriously, according to a Canadian news website, Eric’s exact quote from E3 was
“We do as good a job as we can creating a compelling experience for those fans, but it’s not the focus of where our development dollars or time and attention has gone”
and
“The investment profile – both in terms of time and dollars – is so different for that type of game that it’s hard to even compare it or hold it to the same standards that you would a blockbuster game that you spent several years and tens of millions of dollars making.”
So then if you have no intention of really make a top quality game then why spend any more at all on these movie tie-ins?
Well it’s because the contracts they signed with the movie houses were done a few years back when the market for movie tie-in games was much larger and far more profitable. However as time has gone on the average gamer has stopped caring about these games and as such the interest in developing them has also waned.
So has the audience changed or did Activision, and others, misjudge how many people would be willing to buy a bad game just because it was tied to a movie? I mean have we ever had a good movie tie-in game?
I wonder how many more games they are being forced to develop that will be shown the door with barely enough polish to tempt a German invasion.
Last Updated: June 25, 2014
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 25, 2014 at 15:09
Ffs
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 15:11
What?
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:13
We lost interest because movie tie in games suck! The worst ones I can remember is Battleship and Iron Man 2.
CAE9872
June 25, 2014 at 15:17
You would have thought making movie tie-ins would be a sure fire bet – here you have all the lore you need, the stories are already there, etc. ALL you have to do is find the time to implement it all. I am no developer and making games must be very difficult but its not like you now trying to do a Destiny i.e. from scratch. A lot of that work is done already.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:18
Agreed, oh and let’s not forget Thor and Green Lanterns cross over to gaming. My word I can smell the stink from here.
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
June 26, 2014 at 20:58
Agreed.
On a side note what is so special about Destiny other than being a multiplayer pew pew?
CAE9872
June 26, 2014 at 23:42
Suppose comes down to whether you like FPS and multiplayer FPSs. If you do you will like Destiny; if not it isn’t going to change your mind. Alpha was good though but personally am still unsure how entire single-player experience integrates with MMO style.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:21
Battleship was so much shit!
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:22
It was like a Battleship loaded with shit and shit cannons that fired shit at people.
CAE9872
June 25, 2014 at 15:14
Well obviously Batman games would disagree with the “gamer audience having moved along.” WHY though – easy! By all accounts they pretty good games with great settings, characters, mechanics…well basically just good games.
If you or franchise owners want to piss over all that hard work you did generating the franchise – then you deserve all the attack you get!
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:17
TBH Batman found a niche in the market that no other super hero can fill. Stealth based combat and detective work here and there on the backdrop of cold dark Gotham. People just can’t get enough of it at the moment
Kensei Seraph
June 25, 2014 at 15:24
Was there any movie that the Arkham games could be considered as “movie it ins”?
Dutch Matrix
June 25, 2014 at 15:31
it ins???
Kensei Seraph
June 25, 2014 at 15:32
No idea what you’re talking about.
Dutch Matrix
June 25, 2014 at 15:35
We both know the truth…
Kensei Seraph
June 25, 2014 at 15:36
You can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to me.
CAE9872
June 25, 2014 at 16:12
No but let’s say its a big franchise like all other superhero games they manage to mess up.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:20
But the market has stopped caring because most of the tie-in games have been bollocks.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:21
Every review basically went like this
http://d3dsacqprgcsqh.cloudfront.net/photo/a094q4Q_460sa.gif
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:23
lol http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/uploads/gallery/1275187108/gallery_83989_34758_3553194654c036bed663e8.gif
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:23
hahahaha
Kensei Seraph
June 25, 2014 at 15:26
The syncing seems a bit off.
It’s appropriate though.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:26
it’s crap for other crap? 0-O
Ryanza
June 25, 2014 at 15:24
The Chronicles of Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay. I would say that was the best movie to game made. I would even go on to say that the game was better than the movies.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:25
Spider man 2 on he PS2 was excellent as well. They can do it, they just don’t care.
DarthZA
June 25, 2014 at 15:30
King Kong was incredible. In my mind, that is still the best movie tie in game.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 15:37
That game was great.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:38
I still need to get that man, looks awesome.
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 15:25
But….Why not just make a decent game in any case? There are fucking people that buy these games. So you don’t want to make it so you’re just gonna produce shit?
Kensei Seraph
June 25, 2014 at 15:26
If it had been amazing they could have turned the whole stigma around.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:26
Well they mainly make COD as a start 😛
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 15:26
Then why sell it at full retail? If it was a rush job.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:27
Because old grannies don’t know the difference.
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 15:27
Exactly..They KNOW it’s shit, they know they putting out shit, but they selling this kak to people..Fuck this kak man
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 15:28
Like when Activision jumped on the Walking Dead band wagon with that other piece of kuk. Clever buggers.
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 15:29
Just port Spiderman 2 from the PS2 it would make more profit.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 15:31
Exactly!
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 15:31
Best spidey ever
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 15:29
I have lost whatever LITTLE respect I have for these fuckers. FUCK CoD and Destiny. I don’t care if they were forced into this, fact of the matter is people buy this, treat the buyers with respect you assholes
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 15:31
I lost all respect in Activision back in 2008 when they fired everybody left right and centre. Back when they dropped support for Brutal Legend allowing EA to pick it up because they never expected COD to be such a success.
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 15:32
Dude, seriously , to hell with Destiny, it can be the best game in the world, not gonna support these assholes
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 15:34
The only reason why they have not been getting as much hate as they did 4 years ago is because EA decided to take the RICHARD CRANIUM AWARD away. While Ubisoft wait in the background.
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 15:36
Man I hope Activision wins it next time. And no one will care, no one will care that they knowingly release crap, they’ll still happily skip to the beat of their farts
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 15:29
Remember last Friday when you asked us whether sales devalue games?
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 15:33
I’ve spotted a trend. Leave the article as is, just replacing all Spider-man & Activision references with A:CM & Gearbox.
HvR - Still dislikes Random.or
June 25, 2014 at 15:45
The only movie tie-in games I enjoyed was SW Ep1: Pod Racer and the Lego Movie Game (more due to it being the first game I finished with my son in co-op)
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 25, 2014 at 15:47
But the real question is this: If you had to put in as much effort as any others would the tie in games then actually be worth while?
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 15:48
I suppose they were screwed from the get go, what with basing it on a kak movie trololol
ToshZA
June 25, 2014 at 15:58
http://www.quickmeme.com/img/7f/7f69752affbb185f7fceceba060c9df1ec0bdc0652635ff69247a5510de6657e.jpg
That is all.
MakeItLegal
June 25, 2014 at 15:59
Do we get a refund because u clearly stated u don’t give a rats ass , and we still pay 600 bucks for a game u put half an effort into ? CPA ?
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
June 26, 2014 at 20:56
Ok so people don’t wan’t movie games. Why? Because they’re guaranteed to be mediocre.
Why are they guaranteed to be mediocre? Because history shows that.
Why does history show that? Because the developers chose to release crap time after time.
Who do you blame for the crap? Yea.. Not the movie studios