Capcom goes Hollywood

Publisher considering more movie-based games as a way to bring in broader audiences and offset escalating game costs.

There has been overlap between the game and film industries for some time, but Capcom wants to take that relationship one step further. The publisher will be expanding its presence in Los Angeles, and is considering bringing staff over from its Japanese headquarters in order to better secure movie licences for games, its senior vice president of licensing, Germaine Gioia, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The company hired Gioia, formerly VP of licensing at THQ, to work with movie studios to find properties that will work well as games. The reason behind this initiative is the rising costs for game development on next-gen platforms, which can reach between $10-12 million per title, Gioia said. With development costs that high, Capcom wants to reach as broad an audience as possible--and movie tie-ins are one way of doing this.

"I think it is becoming clear that the very largest successful publishers are delivering more and more of a balance to the marketplace," Gioia said. "They need [not only] their own intellectual property and good solid original development but [also] licensed product that can reach across cultures."

Gioia said that Capcom wouldn't be abandoning its core gaming franchises. However, games based on Hollywood licenses would be created by the same development teams as Capcom's original properties.

While the company is not known for movie-based games, Capcom is not a complete stranger to Hollywood. Its Resident Evil franchise has already spawned two movies: 2002's Resident Evil and its 2004 sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. There is a third movie currently in postproduction, which is due to be released later this year. The company is also working with Hyde Park Entertainment on a new Street Fighter movie featuring Chun Li as the central character. The film rights to Onimusha and Devil May Cry have also been sold by the company.

199 Comments

  • Virtual_Erkan

    Posted May 10, 2008 8:17 am PT

    If it is a 3D animation movie like Final Fantasy Advent Child, then the movie will rock!

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Apr 12, 2008 8:16 pm PT

    well a onimusha movie doesnt sound bad 2 tell the truth

  • Joker_268

    Posted Feb 8, 2008 12:13 pm PT

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
    WHY CAPCOM
    I HAD PLANS BUT THEY ARE NOW PERISHED
    DAMNN :_-|

  • mgs_freak91

    Posted Dec 21, 2007 6:14 am PT

    does anybody know which company the film rights were sold to??

  • Narcissa

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 4:39 pm PT

    Hmm, a DMC movie? It sounds promising as long as they get actors with actual talent instead of casting A-list celebrities who have no talent but are well known.

    As for making games based off of movies, it doesn't seem like a good idea to me. The only good ones I've seen that are based off movies have been some of the Harry Potter games as well as Lord of the Rings. Others that I've seen haven't quite hit the mark to make it a good game. It seems like a bad move to me.

  • craigy27

    Posted Mar 1, 2007 11:25 am PT

    Hey yall forget to mention House of the Dead!!!! that was one cool movie NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • F4ll3n_1

    Posted Feb 2, 2007 1:50 pm PT

    Dont do it! AAAGGHHH! Please Capcom! The only movie based games I ever really liked was LotR, every other one has been seriously half-assed with no original features in it. Aghhh, these things are bad on so many levels.

  • RipVanWinkle_

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 10:43 am PT

    well, the shinobi movie was ok. but thats sega. my point is, not all game based movies are bad, and who knows they might not screw up this dmc one. i'll watch wether its bad or good, only cause im a die-hard fan. curse you, capcom!!!

  • candy_love

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 2:25 am PT

    i wish they would make a game based on the movie hellraiser that would be awesome

  • Wookie_Fodder

    Posted Jan 28, 2007 5:50 pm PT

    Well all this means is that we'll get a Devil May Cry movie that completely disgraces the game and sucks horribly.

    Yay Hollywood!

  • mojohomie

    Posted Jan 28, 2007 1:26 pm PT

    CAPCOM NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  • _Sam_

    Posted Jan 14, 2007 2:20 pm PT

    There really needs to be better games based off of movies.

  • spikedwraith

    Posted Jan 13, 2007 7:51 am PT

    an onimusha movie...now that could be good

  • Zacek1000

    Posted Jan 9, 2007 7:41 am PT

    A new Street Fighter movie! Hope to be good!

  • Myth999

    Posted Jan 8, 2007 8:39 am PT

    Hmm...what if they made a megaman movie too? lol

  • ShellShocker42

    Posted Jan 8, 2007 7:22 am PT

    keanu reaves should be dante..lol

  • ChrisZewski

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 7:21 pm PT

    Movies and games go hand in hand although some movies do thier game counterparts justice (resident evil) and some don't (mario brothers). Unfortunately there are far more worse offenders of the game to movie transition (street fighter, mortal kombat, dungeons & dragons, wing commander) than shining examples (um... resident evil?).

  • Esanca

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 5:10 pm PT

    lets all pray to god that Owe Boll doesnt direct the movie. He's ruined enough movies.

  • SAM_ANDREAS

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 6:47 am PT

    I don't care about movies. In this year... DEVIL MAY CRY ANIME! YEAH!

  • Stalker700

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 10:56 pm PT

    HOLY CR*P!!
    A DMC MOVIE!!!!?????
    oh oh lord,please convice them to do a devil may cry movie!!!OH PLEASEEEEEE!!!
    oh,and also help them NOT to make the movie sucky....
    but besides that,those are great news,cuz at least 80% of the movie based games are all crappy(*cough*catwoman*cough*) and the really best movie based game in my opinion was Riddick,so let's all hope that Capcom will fix this problem...

  • tbolt_88

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 8:55 pm PT

    Good...im sick of garbage movie based games such as Eragon..omg that game sucked so badly..hopefully Capcom can help fix movie based games sucking so hard. Only movie based games not to suck so hard i can think of are Chronicles of Riddick and the LOTR games.

  • John_Aguilera

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 5:33 pm PT

    sweetness!! Hope the new street fighter movie is actually good this time!

  • Nuk1euz

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 12:58 pm PT

    Everyone is overlooking the Castlevania movie coming out this year. Its gonna be a sweeeeeeeeeeeet movie.

  • Alucard62889

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 5:56 pm PT

    FiestaUnicorn.... Finally, someone who understands the acting genius of Bruce Campbell. Dante and Virgil meets Bruce Campbell..... Sweet...

  • BlueFlameBat

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 2:03 pm PT

    Don't be silly, GreenGoblin2099. Hardly anyone ever reads the actual story. They usually jump to conclusions.

  • GreenGoblin2099

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 1:04 pm PT

    Words_of_Ivory
    Do half you people even bother to read these articles?

    It has NOTHING to do with Capcom turning their games into movies. It's about Capcom making GAMES out of Hollywood movies.

    We can read... but the point of interest for everybody is for stuff we already know. We can get a pretty good image about the movies they said they are goin to make, so we made comments about it.

    But we can't make any comment about the movie games they are gonna make cuz we don't know which are going to be.

    OHNOSTEETFIGHERAGAIN!!!WTF!!LOL!!!

  • jarrodt

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 11:09 am PT

    If capcom cant make a good movie/game than no one can.

  • hemakm3

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 10:36 am PT

    Go Capcom

  • Limonadi

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 8:19 am PT

    Will see what happens when Capcom gets more involved with the movie industry. But Im happy that they are, not alot of game companies spend time making sure there games turn to great movies.

    I thought Koonami spent lil good quality time make sure Silent Hill stayed true other then the very few changes in it.

  • Blitz1027

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 6:52 am PT

    If they would make one not two but one eye popping jaw dropping megaman movie kind of like the transformers movie it would probably be cool. But we all know if they did it would be some cheap crap that they made in about a week with they're interns

  • jasonharris48

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 4:31 am PT

    Okay wprds of ivory capcom making games based off movies that is still a bad idea

  • rikhan_z

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 3:16 am PT

    Capcom messed up... good luck... especiality with thier Resi Evil movie!

  • Words_of_Ivory

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 1:55 am PT

    Do half you people even bother to read these articles?

    It has NOTHING to do with Capcom turning their games into movies. It's about Capcom making GAMES out of Hollywood movies.

  • hotrider12

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 1:10 am PT

    contra be a good movie providing they dont make it like rambo

  • FiestaUnicorn

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 11:22 pm PT

    bruce campbell could play dante and virgil.

  • Jerian

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 11:21 pm PT

    There really needs to be something like the Separation of Church & State for Video Games/Movies. Just like politics & Rel!geon dont mix.....

  • FiestaUnicorn

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 11:20 pm PT

    bruce campbell could be dante and virgil

  • nic4games

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 8:14 pm PT

    i would agree with shinjuki. ONIMUSHA would be great movie based from the game and i wish it would be trilogy movie.

  • wwonka666

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 8:03 pm PT

    It is very sad that Capcom wants to break into the licensing business after all these years. Them and Konami are two of the oldest companies still producing games since the NES days and they have so many good original games with both spawning Game to Movie adaptations. They need to remain creative and give us more great franchises in the future rather than relying on movie based games. This is just my opinion.

  • shinjuki

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 6:56 pm PT

    onimusha! i think that would be cool.

  • gamer_10001

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 6:05 pm PT

    Dead Rising Movie!!!!... oh wait... nevermind

  • adi99

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 6:05 pm PT

    yea omfg not another street fighter movie!....wait...its about chun li....oh god no....wat she gonna do...get bision again?

  • S1ckle

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 5:50 pm PT

    A new street fighter. Oh god no.

  • Gamepro2421

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 4:53 pm PT

    DMC movie would be siiiiick!

  • masterchief375

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 4:18 pm PT

    An Onimusha movie sounds pretty good, a DMC movie sounds ok as long as they make a DMC3 movie first!!!!(how would u fit hours worth of gameplay and action into a movie??) but the RE movies werent that great....maybe onimusha will be better

  • jasonharris48

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 4:15 pm PT

    Wow the two Resident Evil movies were crap.Everybody needs to notice that all movies based off a game sucks even if the story is made by the game company it own rights too cough,cough square-enix with Final Fantasy :TSW and FF7:advent children but who knows maybe the new ones might be decent

  • Lanfeix

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 4:00 pm PT

    10-12 for a title may be they need to find a way to cut costs? serouisly thought where the costs coming from?

    movie with game tiein's are usally rubish. i think they been better off targeting pal terrories and watch as the money rolls in.

  • cocote2049

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 12:31 pm PT

    Just thinking about yearly Megaman movies gives me the chills.

  • amogley

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 12:19 pm PT

    Generally, I think that the game-movie genre is getting better .... but it is still pretty poor. I have to admit, I can't think of any other titles (some were mentioned in the article) belonging to Capcom that I would really like to see

    Well ... let's just wait and see what comes out of the movie studios .. time will tell.

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