Gamers Ponder Absence Of 'Dark Knight'

by **J The Kidd** Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:09 am

For the first time in the film-franchise's history, the caped
crusader flew into movie theaters without a video game attached to his
utility belt.

Despite a plethora of "Dark Knight" action figures, bobbleheads and
T-shirts sweeping in Bat-dollars beyond the film's $400 million
record-smashing box office, no "Dark Knight" game is following suit.

Whatever held things up caused about $100 million in sales to be missed, according to estimates.

It's not as if an interactive "Dark Knight" wasn't gearing up before
the film's release. Game publisher Electronic Arts had the rights to
make a "Dark Knight" title, which EA-owned developer Pandemic Studios
was working on, according to an EA manager who spoke on the condition
of anonymity because the matter is proprietary.

Gary Oldman, the actor who plays Gotham City police officer James
Gordon, said in a recent interview with cable network G4 that he had
seen a "tiny little piece" of "The Dark Knight" game and described a
sequence with Batman realistically gliding across rooftops. Oldman also
said the game is supposed to feel like it "doesn't stop and start."

Beyond that, details about the game have been as concealed as Bruce
Wayne in the Batsuit. Spokespeople for Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment, EA and Pandemic would not comment for this story.

Speculation about the cause for the disappearing act has included
missed deadlines, Heath Ledger's death, questionable quality and poor
sales projections.

Based on the record-breaking success of the movie, Wedbush Morgan video
game industry analyst Michael Pachter believes a "Dark Knight" game
released at the same time as the blockbuster film last month could have
sold 4 million units and banked $100 million -- with $70 million going
to the game's publisher and $30 million going to Warner Bros.

Sales of movie-based games often parallel their box-office brethren.
Last year's "Transformers" games sold 2.6 million copies while the
"Spider-Man III" games sold 2.1 million, according to sales data from
NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier. Even the "Iron Man" games have sold
697,000 units following their release at the same time as the film in
May.

To quote Jack Nicholson's Joker: "And where ... is the Batman?"

"I think publishers have concluded the only games that work are the
surefire $500 million box office kind of games like 'Spider-Man' and
'Shrek,"' Pachter told The Associated Press. "The 'Transformers' game
really surprised people how well it did, but the movie was big. I don't
think they expected 'The Dark Knight' movie to be this big."

Games pegged to comic-book and kiddie flicks have become as financially
important to the movie industry as popcorn and candy. Movie-based games
provide another revenue stream to movie studios and often give game
publishers a fighting chance for consumers' cash, mostly thanks to
movie buzz and instantly recognizable characters.

Since director Tim Burton first brought "Batman" to the big screen in
1989, games tied to every Batman film -- including "Batman Returns,"
"Batman & Robin" and "Batman Forever" -- have been released for
various gaming platforms. EA might have decided to bow out of the
Batman business after what happened with the previous movie-based
adaptation.

In 2005, EA unleashed a "Batman Begins" game alongside director Chris
Nolan's moody re-imagination of the Batman franchise. The stealth
action game featured the voices of the film's stars, such as Christian
Bale, Katie Holmes and Morgan Freeman. But the game received a lukewarm
critical reception and only sold 587,000 copies. Ker-plop!

If a "Dark Knight" game is still in the works, Batman could take a cue
from Superman. Because of delays, the EA console games based on 2006's
"Superman Returns" didn't take flight until the DVD release -- and only
then sold 705,000 copies. However, a "Dark Knight" game isn't on EA's
release slate through March 2009, according to the EA manager.

That doesn't mean gamers will be without interactive incarnations of
Batman, The Joker and Two-Face this year. Warner will release "Lego
Batman: The Video Game" in September. The cartoony platform game
developed by Traveller's Tales will feature the caped crusader and
company solving puzzles and fighting foes in the form of the famous
colorful blocks.

In November, DC Comics characters such as Batman, The Joker and
Catwoman can duel in Midway's fighting game "Mortal Kombat vs. DC
Universe." And later this year, Sony Online Entertainment will shine
the Bat-signal on a virtual Gotham City in the new massively
multiplayer online role-playing game "DC Universe Online."