Report: Wes Craven looking into game development

San Jose Mercury News writer Dean Takahashi says in his blog that the horror-film director is in talks to create an original game.

When Wes Craven was given the final speaking slot at the inaugural MI6 game-marketing conference this week in San Francisco, the choice likely raised a few eyebrows. Previously, the director's most visible tie to the world of games was the 1989 Nintendo Entertainment System game based on his film, Nightmare on Elm Street.

Craven was booked to speak about fostering customer loyalty, marketing, and creating anticipation for a product from his perspective as a film director. However, after the conference was over, he spoke with San Jose Mercury News writer Dean Takahashi about his possible work as a game designer. After discussing the director's presentation and attitudes toward gaming in general, Takahashi writes on his blog that the director "said he was in talks to create an original game, but wouldn't elaborate."

Film directors getting into game development is a growing trend. Hong Kong action director John Woo is overseeing the development of Midway's Stranglehold, King Kong director Peter Jackson was hands-on with Ubisoft's interactive adaptation of his big-budget remake, and Steven Spielberg last year signed on to create three next-generation games based on original properties with Electronic Arts.

As for horror directors getting into film, Craven will have some company on that front, too. Halloween helmer John Carpenter is working with Titan Productions on Psychopath, a game that he already has plans to adapt into a movie. Hellraiser director Clive Barker has also dabbled in games, finding critical success with 2001's Undying and falling short with the canceled Demonik.

53 Comments

  • mariomaniac92

    Posted Jul 3, 2006 10:19 am PT

    Meh.....Wes Craven isn't worth making a game over.

  • CloudStrifeFFO7

    Posted Jul 3, 2006 8:46 am PT

    Thats good to hear hope he dont make crappy games..

  • JaMeS4418

    Posted Jul 2, 2006 7:24 pm PT

    Sounds good as long as he doesn't copy the re series or some movie and tries to make a good original game.

  • bowser0077

    Posted Jul 1, 2006 3:35 pm PT

    I think I sense a game where you play as Freddy Kruger

  • grave_rob

    Posted Jul 1, 2006 10:06 am PT

    between this news & the John Carpenter news how could a goreXwhore like me NOT be stoked?

  • ArsenalArmor

    Posted Jul 1, 2006 4:27 am PT

    Hopefully he doesn't pick a company that makes crap. Maybe he'll go with Ubi like Peter Jackson!

  • PiMacleod_basic

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 10:46 pm PT

    My curiosity is peaked.

  • chadw_genx

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 9:42 pm PT

    Wes Craven likes to experiment with new things. He created one of the most known horror characters ever in Freddy Krueger and has recently wrote a work of Fiction - The Fountain Society, and even stepped outside of horror for a bit with Red Eye. Besides Wishmaster, I've never NOT liked ANY of Wes Craven's work. He is a creative genious and I loved the Nightmare on Elm Street video game for the NES, which I think was totally underrated. I don't care if the game stinks (which I doubt) I'm going to be buying it.

  • xxcommixx

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 1:44 pm PT

    hahahahahahha,
    i didnt even read the article. im just bored so im commenting random crap.

  • amplizine

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 1:24 pm PT

    No, people can be series... I only know parallel people myself though

  • jaefrmbk2k

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 11:20 am PT

    Wes Craven looks too much like Bob Ross. i KNEW Bob Ross couldn't die. Bob Ross is a cyborg. he just killed Wes Craven, adopted his persona and got a perm. Bob Ross rules!

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 10:18 am PT

    GoddBless, don't you mean "serious"? I don't think anyone can be series.

  • Psyfon

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 10:01 am PT

    Wow. I like the idea, but it could be not so hot.

  • GoddBless

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 9:45 am PT

    "FLCLAtomsk
    What movies has Wes Craven done? I can't think of any."

    Surely you can't be series!?!

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 9:25 am PT

    Ew, this could be and will most likely be bad. In my opinion, Hollywood directors should stay far away from the video game industry; I don't give a s**t what movie(s) they made, big budget Hollywood doesn't blend well with video games. Oh well, this could turn out good somewhat, but highly doubt it.

  • faizali86

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 9:22 am PT

    wes craven or not, i hope the games are good enough

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 7:38 am PT

    Since it's Wes Craven. I'm more than sure whatever game(s) he's working on will be in the survival-horror/horror genre.

  • cloudstrife75

    Posted Jun 30, 2006 4:37 am PT

    Wes Craven horror games? ... SWEET!

    This guy is a legend in film making. If he can direct a movie...why not a game as well??

  • amplizine

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 10:37 pm PT

    Sweendrix is right I think. The difference between movies and games is interactivity. It could be difficult (and possibly disasterous) for a director to completely change to a new medium like video games. I wouldn't want to play a game if I end up just watching most of it, I want to be immersed in it.

    I can't deny the benefits that would come from it, such as greatly improved storytelling and cutscenes, but I really hope the director would realize it's not the same.

  • ssvegeta555

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 9:47 pm PT

    interesting...

  • alberto2045

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 9:20 pm PT

    what???

  • rynmls

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 8:40 pm PT

    adoptation of games into movies again? just hoping this will be good...

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 7:44 pm PT

    Wes Craven made some real good scary movies I wonder how he will do with making a scary video game.

  • xerxes5678

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 7:18 pm PT

    Could be cool, but then again he could become another Uwe Boll.

  • pixiedust35147

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 6:24 pm PT

    This could be a very good thing. Or a very bad thing. I guess we'll find out.

  • Orasion_Seiz

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 5:53 pm PT

    i always love his horror movies. the games should also be good.

  • FuguNabe

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 5:45 pm PT

    Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Clive Barker... What can I say I love their input into the horror genre of film. Hopefully they can capture their twisted imagination into games for us to play on next-gen systems. Industry needs more disurbing games like the Silent Hill series which IMO is the only series for survival horror left next to Zero/Fatal Frame (Bio-Hazard is a good series but lost it's horror and turned into an action adventure instead IMO).

  • Lupus64

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 5:13 pm PT

    Well, it could work. I mean, it'd be a different perspective going from writing horror films to making games, than just being a horror fan and making games. He could bring some interesting ideas to the genre.

  • jmgionet

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 5:03 pm PT

    This could be very interesting

  • Kyubi-Naruto

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 4:14 pm PT

    Cool!!!!!

  • Derangal

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 4:07 pm PT

    FLCLAtmosk: Wes Craven is the man behind the Nightmare on Elm Street series and he directed the first and New Nightmare movies. He also directed the original 2 the Hills Have Eyes, along with Swamp Thing, the entire Scream series, a few episodes of the original Twilight Zone, and a few other things. He wrote the script for all the Nightmare movies and did character writing for Freddy vs. Jason. He also wrote the screenplay for the current the Hills Have Eyes, but he didn't direct it.

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 4:04 pm PT

    could be pretty cool.....i guess

  • way2funny

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 4:01 pm PT

    What movies has wes done? OMFG, only the most creative Horror movie ever made, A Nightmare On Elm Street

  • LexLas

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 3:17 pm PT

    I'm with jaredgood1 on this one.... Yup... OLD SCHOOL FOLKS KNOW THE DEAL

  • Metron4

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 3:15 pm PT

    ooh. The Hills Have Eyes: The Game.

  • BrandXSavior

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 3:07 pm PT

    I would love to see a modern FPS Clive Barker game based on his Hellraiser series of movies (well, the first two anyway) or the Tortured Souls figures that were out a few years back. A game in the vein of F.E.A.R. with Cinobytes would be nice.

  • Elementskate14

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 3:01 pm PT

    oops posted the same thing again

  • Elementskate14

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:59 pm PT

    ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

    uh is it morning already???

  • jaredgood1

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:57 pm PT

    Good Lord... I'm surrounded by a bunch of youngns....

    Craven could make a good game, as he actually has an artistic vision of horror films (from back when horror movies were actually good as opposed to the simple audience manipulation crap we get served now).

  • WolfSkill5544

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:57 pm PT

    Wes Craven needs to really come up with a good scary game, he has a big competition in front of him. Specially with the masterminds behind Silent Hill, and Rule of Rose. So, it's not gonna be so easy for him.

  • jaredgood1

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:56 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • OmegaHunter9

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:49 pm PT

    I hear he's a huge icon. My parents say he creates SCARY stuff from before Halloween. I wonder if his game will top FEAR or Condemned.

  • Grant_Guy

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:37 pm PT

    Sounds okay...

  • Sweendrix

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:34 pm PT

    I think Film Directors have an eye for the Aesthetics of the game...but not so much in terms of gameplay. I think a good partnership will help Wes become very successful in this field.

  • gonzalezj1

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:28 pm PT

    *laughing at Sweendrix* Anyway... I'll have to see how this turns out.

  • Donkeljohn

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:26 pm PT

    Horror-film lovers are likely to unite under his banner.
    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000127/

  • kinncolts

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:24 pm PT

    hopefully ( but not likely) ..he'll make a game for the Wii

  • Kyubi-Naruto

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:24 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • Sweendrix

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:24 pm PT

    If Wes makes anything I will buy it.

  • Sweendrix

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:22 pm PT

    WES!!!!! I'll do your video game music...I have video of me in the Studio doing a Halo Tribute at INDRE Studios (aerosmith, Dave MAtthews)...check it out wes...I WANT TO MAKE GAME MUSIC!

    http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&n=2&videoID=877632277&Mytoken=C2E1EB28-1127-DB94-89FA6E9C1338512021432238

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