SyFy, Trion To Make Partnered TV Show, MMOG

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
12,070
0
0
SyFy, Trion To Make Partnered TV Show, MMOG



The SyFy network (formerly known as SciFi) will develop a TV show set in the same world as an MMOG to be made by Trion, with the game and the show influencing one another.

The Peacock Equity Fund is a venture capital arm of NBC Universal's parent company, General Electric. The Peacock Fund, which primarily invests in tech companies, recently announced that it is funding the development of a new TV show and game to be be produced concurrently by its SyFy Network and Trion game studio. The game is described on GE Reports blog [http://www.trionworld.com/studio.php] states the working title is One Earth. There are no details on what kind of TV show will be paired with the game or what the exact setting is (one would think it involves Science and/or Fiction), but the two entities are intended to evolve together.

"In this unique set-up, we can do things that other people would never even dare before: create a videogame world and a television show based on the same universe, they take place at the same location in the future," said Lars Butler, CEO of Trion. "They not only promote each other, they literally depend on each other and co-evolve."

"We have two teams of creatives. We have a TV team that understands character and story, and how a TV show works, and we have a game development team that is fantastic at building a game universe, a mythology and a set of characters," said David Howe, President of Syfy. "And that joint team has to figure out how that TV show interacts with the game on a weekly basis on a linear basis and how the game reflects what's going on in TV world and what the TV show reflects in terms of the game world."

"This project, in collaboration with Syfy, in and of itself, is completely different from anything I've worked on in the past," said Rob Hill, Trion's senior producer. "Usually you have a game that's based off of a book or television show or movie, or a movie that's based off a game. Some of the implications of what we are trying to accomplish here are to really be able to broaden the audience."

It seems like an ambitious project, but I think that more crossover between games and other media is generally a good thing. As long as the TV show isn't directed by Uwe Boll, we should be fine.

Source: GE Reports [http://www.gereports.com/peacock-fund-fuels-syfy-game-guru-trion-venture/]



Permalink
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
5,630
0
0
Intresting idea, I would like to see how this would exactly work.

I do like the idea of the 2 working together though, perhaps start of something new?
 

Skreeee

New member
Jun 5, 2009
490
0
0
So...it'll be a machinima broadcasted on television? Or a live action show with some part in the actual game?

If it's a machinima, I'd be interested to see how they shoot it to be considered quality enough for television.
 

Theissen

New member
Jan 8, 2008
203
0
0
Actually, that sounds totally awesome. Just think what a good show EVE might be.

As long as it doesn't become some soap'ish shite like BSG, then it's a cool idea.

Another thing... When I read the title, I immediately thought of "syfillis". I guess that twitch will never go away.
 

Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
17,032
0
0
eh, won't appeal to my since I don't play MMO games. Yet.

Side-note: Syfy is still a terrible name, and I am still not used to it.
 

solidstatemind

Digital Oracle
Nov 9, 2008
1,077
0
0
Hm. Give them points for being creative, but I do not see how they possibly pull this off. The logistics of maintaining continuity between a medium that has a relatively short production time like TV (at most, the script writing/story arc extends out for a full year) and a medium where production times are absurdly long (games usually spend years in development; MMOs even longer) can maintain concurrency beyond a year, if even that long.

But like I said: props for coming up with an intriguing- if completely unfeasible- idea.
 

maddog015

New member
Sep 12, 2008
338
0
0
Good concept, but I can only imagine how hard it would be to change something in the game or the TV show on the fly if something major happens to one or the other.
 

TheDoctor455

Friendly Neighborhood Time Lord
Apr 1, 2009
12,257
0
0
Hmm... an interesting concept, but I've stopped taking the Sci-Fi network seriously ever since they changed their name to something that managed to sound both pretentious and stupid and the same time. "SyFy", seriously?
 

Halceon

New member
Jan 31, 2009
820
0
0
Is this the time when we finally see peniscopters on tv? I have no faith in the players.
 

TheShaman

New member
Jan 12, 2010
1
0
0
I'm going to call this one right here... it's fail. Maybe the VCs should contact people that know WTF is going on in the industry before listening to some hype about a market.

Going out and hiring a no name studio to produce an MMO in a market that's completely dominated by a single game with no hopes of breaking the pattern until said game's publisher releases their next one is not a smart move. I don't care how many markets you cross and what you're playing off of. Plenty of larger game publishers with deeper pockets have tried and failed or even abandoned MMOs.

This one will be no different. It's setup for failure from the get go.
 

Zealot1011

New member
Feb 27, 2008
12
0
0
Theissen said:
Actually, that sounds totally awesome. Just think what a good show EVE might be.
Amen. If anyone actually bothers to look into it, EVE online has a massive background story that I personally think could be a great setting for a mini series or film.