Chaman discusses Axis

Chaman Productions, the studio developing the upcoming CG film Axis and codeveloping the related video game with Namco, has revealed further details on the project. In speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, Denis Friedman, president and CEO of the animation house, said that the idea behind the film was originally pitched as a video game, and as the production on both projects progress, they will be closely interrelated. The game will borrow heavily from the digital film.

"We're developing a PlayStation 2 Axis video game in our Biarritz studio in southwest France," Friedman explained. "We have about 20 people working on the game there and an additional five from Namco working on it in Japan. The video game will feature environments and backgrounds in CGI with real-time characters in the foreground. The graphics won't be as advanced as the movie, but they will be at the forefront of today's game graphics. The game will follow the film's plot rather closely but will offer new subplots and missions, as well as more monsters and action."

Although a PS2 version of Axis has been confirmed at this time, Friedman told the publication that versions for the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance and the Microsoft Xbox are likely. In addition to future incarnations of games and films based on the Axis property, Chaman is developing a separate project, also for the film and video game mediums. Specific details of this second project were not announced. Chaman Productions is made up of game development veterans and former employees from Industrial Light & Magic and Pixar. It was established in late 1997.