Business

Video games have made their mark in movies but movies haven’t yet returned the favour

Game over Hollywood
EA Sports
Game over for Hollywood
EA Sports

From Tomb Raider to Resident Evil, video games have made their mark on Hollywood. But so far Hollywood has been unable to return the favour, despite several high-profile attempts. The latest casualty is a studio that film and TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer set up in partnership with MTV six years ago. The venture is being quietly shuttered after failing to produce a single title, according to a recent report by online news site Gamespot. Nor is Bruckheimer the only Hollywood big shot to fail to make a dent in the booming $65-billion industry. Steven Spielberg signed an deal with Electronic Arts in 2005 that yielded one non-blockbuster game—a puzzle game called Boom Blox. Director Zack Snyder signed a separate agreement with EA in 2008 to make three games—none of which have materialized, which is surprising, some say, given Snyder’s CGI-heavy action film 300, which critics often compared to a video game.