In a new interview, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has been suggesting that movie studios are now showing more interest in games than vice versa - and musing on reports that the launch of GTA IV might dent the premiere of the Iron Man film.
In a new interview, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has spoken of the increasing synergy between the video games industry and Hollywood, suggesting that movie studios are now showing more interest in games than publishers are in films. Speaking to British newspaper the Financial Times, Riccitiello commented, “The buzz in Hollywood, which I heard from some Hollywood folks... is people are worried whether Iron Man the movie is going to get killed by Grand Theft Auto the game." Comic book movie adaptation Iron Man is due for release in the U.S. on May 2nd. Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV is to be released a few days earlier on April 29th, and is expected to be one of the bestselling titles of the year. "There is more interest today from Hollywood to make movies out of our games than there is interest in our industry to make games out of their movies. There's a big reset happening now,” said Riccitiello. Riccitiello’s comments are reminiscent of claims made by Microsoft following the release of Halo 2 in 2004, when the game’s revenues were favorably compared to that of contemporary movie blockbuster Spider-Man 2. "It feels like what movie moguls might have seen in the 1920s and said: 'Hey, we've got talkies now, where is it going?' I feel like we've stepped through a time window where our games are so compelling and seem so real,” said Riccitiello. "Our industry is passing through a phase where I believe the greatest games will be viewed by almost everybody as being as important as Best Picture at the Academy Awards," he added.
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