The makers of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption and the upcoming L.A. Noire haven’t hopped on the “transmedia” bandwagon yet, meaning they haven’t tapped their best known franchises for movies, television shows or comic books. Why not?
Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser tells the Hollywood Reporter, bluntly, that “virtually all movies made from games are awful, while many games made from movies are also pretty horrible.”
“If you feel the property has something about it that is universal or could work in another medium, and it is not simply about making easy money, then that is something worthwhile,” Houser says. “Too often, however, the aim appears to be to cash-in on the success of a particular game, book, pop singer, website, etc., and that usually produces mediocre results.”
The game developer’s L.A. Noire will make a special appearance at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, but don’t assume that’s a sign they want to shift from games to film. Houser says that the company has “explored” movie deals, but hasn’t bit… yet.
“If we were to attempt to make a movie, we would like to make it ourselves,” Houser says, “or at least work in collaboration with the best talent, so at least if it is bad, we can know we failed on our own terms.”
Rockstar Games’ Dan Houser on ‘L.A. Noire’s’ Selection by the Tribeca Film Festival [THR]
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