Last year LucasArts was preparing to launch a new Star Wars game, Star Wars 1313, which would have put players into the underground crime world of Level 1313 on Coruscant to uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy. Fans were excited about this game because it was epic and would have allowed explorations of the Star Wars world never seen before. It was also for mature audiences.
Or would have been. However, the game was dropped when LucasArts closed this past spring disappointing gaming fans everywhere.
The Inquire.net released footage this month of the game and where they are when it comes to the advancement of VFX and how these advancements will affect movie-making in the future. Though the game itself has stalled in production, at the Technology Strategy Board event at BAFTA in London this month, LucasFilm’s chief technology strategy officer Kim Libreri spoke about how the changes and innovations used in video game design may affect film and how video-game engines might be used in the film-making process in such a way that the entire post-production process could eventually be skipped altogether. You can read more here at the Inquirer.net.
Is this a good thing? I am not sure. It is possible to become so enamored with technology and the innovations of such technology that storytelling and the emotional, human connection in a story is forgotten and lost. How will such innovations affect the performances of actors? How does it affect them now, as video motion-capture in film-making is already a reality? And if a director is not sure of what he or she wants creatively while filming will this really solve anything? When over-used, these things can have an affect on the emotional core of a film – its story and those chosen to perform it.
You can see footage of the game in the video below.
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victorialadybug (V. A. Jeffrey) is a fantasy and science fiction author. She also loves music, art, history, cooking, baking, fermenting stuff, comic book movies and nearly anything Tolkien related. Her biggest writing inspirations are Shakespeare, Frank Herbert and, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. You can find her at: mymiddleearth.com.
When Lucasfilm talks about revolutionizing the industry via technology…I get nervous. That used to be a good thing but after the prequels…not so much. Another fine example of technology driving the film makers’ choices is actually The Hobbit. While in some ways a more faithful adaptation of the source material than LOTR, strictly as a film, I think Unexpected Journey fell short of the mark, largely due too much tech.
As much as I enjoyed The Hobbit I have to agree with you. This is why I have not seen the big, block buster films this year. I’m beginning to lose interest. With the exception of the Hobbit films, the Thor franchise, Captain America and the current James Bond franchise there isn’t much else out there that interests me anymore in Hollywood. Most of my interests, funny enough, are indie fantasy and sci-fi web shows and films being created by independent producers, some of them who hang out right here on this site.