Rebirth of America, this is my time

To be honest, Ethan actually wanted to invest in Spielberg's company.

Because Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Back to the Future and Jurassic Park are all gold mines that can be encountered but cannot be found in the film industry.

When Darth Mickey was making crazy gains with Marvel and Star Wars, it was the IP of Jurassic that allowed Universal to return to the top ten at the North American box office, and a series of IPs created by Spielberg were also used by Universal. The key to the studio's ability to persist is that, after all, four of the five most attractive IPs in Universal Studios were brought by him. In addition to Minions, Jurassic and Kung Fu Panda Transformers and Harry Potter were all signed by him.

It is no exaggeration to say that without Spielberg's god-like productivity, Universal Pictures might have fallen behind in Hollywood. Now, since he wants to leave Universal, it is a qualified person who must do everything possible to get him. What a capitalist should do.

It's a pity that he doesn't want to.

However, being able to obtain the game production rights, film distribution rights and CD distribution rights for all his works is also a huge gain, because even if it has been five years since time travel, Ethan will never forget that when he played Medal of Honor in his previous life , he saw the name DreamWorks Interactive in the production team column.

Yes, in his previous life, the biggest player in the movie industry also dabbled in game production.

The reason for this situation is also very simple, that is, when Spielberg discovered that his children were addicted to silly games like 007: GoldenEye, he felt that he had an obligation to let his children understand what A real video game!

Ever since, in the late 1990s, Spielberg led the production team to make Medal of Honor.

And it’s selling well.

According to Ethan's understanding, after Medal of Honor was released, the good response made Spielberg want to make persistent efforts to create a sequel. However, due to problems in the main film business, DreamWorks was surrounded by Hollywood giants and could not open overseas distribution. Due to the situation, in order to raise money, he was forced to sell the production company.

After that, the production team of Medal of Honor was divided into two groups, one went to Electronic Arts, and the other went to Activision. The former made the hard-core shooting game Battlefield according to the script left by Spielberg, and the latter The author followed the idea of ​​Medal of Honor and made Call of Duty.

These two games shocked the entire gaming world and made Activision crazy in making money, and now...

All the old man’s game ideas are his!

From now on, he, Ethan Jones, no longer has to think about the plot of the game!

Because there is someone around me who can write!

More importantly, this kind of person is still willing to write!

And just when Ethan stood up naturally and was about to call Ballmer to ask him to sign a contract with the two of them, Spielberg, who was sitting on the sofa, stopped him and said, Wait a minute Ethan, we haven't talked about the matter yet. It’s over…”

Is there anything else? Ethan put his butt back on the sofa as soon as he left it.

Yes, there are two more small things. Spielberg nodded: The first thing is related to Raiders of the Lost Ark. According to our plan, the team will be formed this year, filming will start next year, and it will be released the year after that.

Because I have plenty of time, I was just thinking...

Can you make a game about it?

Same as Star Wars and Alien?

Because I also want to experience the rush of sales in the first week.

The simple request made Ethan laugh out loud. He could understand Spielberg's desire, because becoming a hit is the most important thing, but turning Raiders of the Lost Ark into a game?

This question made Ethan pick up the script again and start reading it.

As he remained silent, Spielberg looked nervous.

Because in the past few years, Spielberg has never seen Ethan show hesitation in gaming.

In his mind, whenever Ethan talks about games, God is second and I am first.

But now...

What is he thinking about?

However, even though there was anxiety in his heart, Spielberg did not ask any questions. About ten minutes later, Ethan, who had finished turning over the script again, said seriously: Steven, Raiders of the Lost Ark can be made into a game. And I have two ideas, they may represent different results, you need to choose yourself.

I think you should be able to understand what I mean?

Ethan raised his eyebrows.

Of course. Spielberg suddenly woke up and said, When you ask us for a game license, you believe that our movie can be successful, but even if the movie can bring a large number of fans, you must first make the game. Only then can fans’ enthusiasm be transformed into purchasing power.”

The same goes for us. We think your game can be successful, so we give you the game license for the movie. We also hope that fans of the game can help the movie's box office and peripherals.

so……

If you have any questions, you can just ask.

The frank words made Ethan change his sitting position and said: Yes, so I don't want to deceive you.

“The Raiders of the Lost Ark project seemed a bit difficult to me.”

Since the core element of this project is adventure and puzzle solving, in my opinion, the current way of making games, a linear model similar to Starry Sky may not be suitable for Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Uh...Ethan...I don't understand what you mean. Lucas didn't understand and raised his hand, What do you mean by linear mode? Isn't Starry Sky a level-breaking game?

Before, when we were talking about The Empire Strikes Back, you said that the arcade version of The Empire Strikes Back would also be produced using this model? The full name seems to be something... a scrolling shooting game?

Oh yes. Ethan nodded repeatedly, realizing that he had made a mistake.

Video games in this era have not yet flourished like they will in the future!

When he is already recognized as the godfather of games by people inside and outside the industry, talking about professional terms with Spielberg and Lucas, two laymen, is just asking for trouble!

So, he stood up and took out a pile of white paper from his desk.

After sitting down again, he spread the paper on the coffee table and started writing in front of the two of them...

Although Starry Sky is a scroll-type shooting game, its gameplay is actually very simple. The challenges and events in the entire game are unfolded in sequence.

For example, you can only enter the second level after you clear the first level.

And the process of the second level is also fixed. You can only enter the third level after you clear it...

If all of this is streamlined, when designing this kind of game, the first thing the designer does is to design a starting point A, arrange an end point B, and then let the players follow a fixed process from A to B.

Of course, there are going to be twists and turns, levels.

But because it's a constant process, a line, I call it linear.

Oh- Lucas understood.

Spielberg nodded.

The reaction of the two people made Ethan continue: But Raiders of the Lost Ark cannot be produced in this way, or in other words, this approach cannot reflect the creative essence of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In my opinion, only by using a non-linear method to make Raiders of the Lost Ark can the game restore the flavor of the movie itself. Current technology can support my idea, but players cannot.

Because this approach will make the cost of playing for players very high...

That's right!

In Ethan's opinion, the most suitable game type for the IP of Raiders of the Lost Ark is a non-linear adventure puzzle like Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda!

This is what future players call ARPG, an action role-playing game!

Because there are so many puzzle elements in Raiders of the Lost Ark! What about submarine battles, desert island survival, the Well of Souls, the Temple Tavern... just the movie maps created by Spielberg and Lucas can support the puzzle development of an entire game!

When such detailed content appears, when extremely sophisticated design appears, will Raiders of the Lost Ark be made into a simple scroll-type level-breaking game? That is really a huge waste!

And turning it into a North American Zelda, making it an open world, and continuing to expand the worldview in the movie in the form of games, that is the treatment that North America's top movie deserves!

More importantly, even if Ethan didn't ask his sister for inspiration, he knew that current technology fully supports it, because when Shigeru Miyamoto created Zelda in the 1980s, he used the original Famicom to run it. Up, and the home console of Destiny Games...

Cough cough cough…

Everyone who understands understands.

But even if their Johnson home console could carry ARPG-like fantasies, Ethan couldn't turn his ideas into reality, because games like Sadar must have the function of saving and loading files.

If players are not allowed to save by themselves, then the puzzle-solving gameplay will not be possible.

The original Famicom did not have an archive function, so in his previous life, Nintendo's Hiroshi Yamauchi built an external disk drive in order to promote Zelda.

Now, Johnson's home console does not have an archive function. Therefore, if you want to make Raiders of the Lost Ark into an ARPG, you must introduce external disk drives to players.

Although this kind of promotion is very simple for Ethan, because Evelin has already built a backdoor when designing the console, and Apple’s external disk can be used as soon as it is plugged into the game console, but when they are making market-oriented machine casings The mouth is just sealed, but...

Apple external disks are expensive!

The price of 495 can buy two and a half Johnson home consoles!

This price is not acceptable to ordinary people!

Therefore, the ARPG concept of Raiders of the Lost Ark is not currently achievable.

As for whether Ethan's information will lead to the leakage of inspiration?

Ethan didn't care about this.

When the market can’t carry inspiration, what’s the point of not leaking it?

And after he mastered hardware promotion, others want to be the first to harvest the world?

Ah--

dream!

It’s all there in the dream!

Perhaps because there was no psychological pressure, Ethan was extremely detailed when telling the story.

And when he presented the idea of ​​an open world to Spielberg and Lucas in a simple way, the two giants in the film industry were instantly shocked!

They never imagined that video games could actually do this?

If video games can present a more realistic open world to the public and allow players to roam freely in it, then how should movies be an entertainment?

When players can write satisfying stories with their own hands...

A movie that was originally lively will become extremely rigid!

This fact will continue to expand the market for video games!

Maybe in a few years, movies will have to look up to games!

This is too scary... Xiao Lu and Xiao Si were so surprised that they couldn't make a sound.

But after Ethan said that the current technology has allowed it, but people’s wallets can’t afford it...

They were immediately disappointed.

Although their main business is movies, all their movies can be made into games by Ethan!

If before, when Ethan fell into thinking, they would worry whether Ethan had exhausted his talent, but now, when the idea of ​​an open world emerged, they knew that with Ethan's creativity, Push it forward ten years! Twenty years! Thirty years! He is also invincible!

In this case, working with Destiny Games is the best choice!

Innovative creative innovations can bring glory to them!

It will also make them gain a lot!

so……

“We’re not going to be able to bring this product to market anytime soon, are we?”

Lucas asked.

At least when the movie comes out, we can't do that.

Ethan answered.

Then when will this kind of game come out soon?

Spielberg wanted to know a specific time.

Well - it depends on the development of technology - Ethan thought for a while and said: First of all, we have to wait for major companies to launch better disk drives, because only in this way can the prices of existing disk drives be lowered. Secondly, I don’t want to add a disk drive to the Johnson home console. According to my plan, digital optical disks will be the main storage for the new generation of home consoles.”

And the Johnson home console cannot be eliminated after just one or two years on the market, right? It has to be sold for five or six years anyway? So, according to my plan, in 1985...

This is a more reasonable time for innovation.

New machines and new games are also my pursuit.

At least I can accept it myself.

Ethan's thoughts made the two brothers on the sofa opposite look at each other.

They couldn't accept this gap.

Although they have other projects on their hands, Raiders of the Lost Ark is obviously an IP that can be turned into a series. When Spielberg wants to go it alone, they can launch a popular series under the name of a new company. , that is the fastest way to become famous.

Ethan, what about the second idea you mentioned earlier? Spielberg asked.

The second idea is to make a scrolling game like Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Ethan said: But after our Destiny Game launched Star Sky and Star Wars in succession, I In fact, there is no guarantee that the same type of Raiders of the Lost Ark will be 100% successful.

Spielberg gets it.

In other words, if he wanted the Raiders of the Lost Ark game and movie to be released together in 1981, then Ethan would have to make the game a scrolling adventure.

And this...

I need to think.

Okay. Ethan had no objection.

Perhaps it was because there was a big gap between the results that Ethan gave and the imagination of the two before they arrived, so when they talked about the second thing, they were a little depressed.

But the second thing is not a big deal. It's just that Spielberg wants to get the rights to host Michael Jackson's concerts for American Music, the parent company of Universal Pictures.

Yes, even if Spielberg decides to leave Universal and go it alone, he would like to give one last thank you to Sidney Sheinberg, the CEO of American Music and Universal Pictures.

After all, without Sidney Sheinberg’s generosity, Spielberg wouldn’t be where he is today.

And this matter...

I personally have no problem with it.

Because Destiny Music is just a shell company.

According to the current development momentum, Michael Jackson will definitely hold his solo concert tour within one or two years. If American music is willing to undertake it, that will be a great thing for me, because I don't have to go here. There’s investment in it.”

but……

The current chairman of Destiny Music is David Geffen, after all.

So whether Destiny Music cooperates with American music or not, that's up to him.

You first joined Destiny Pictures and then went to talk to him?

uh-huh?

Ethan has made his words very clear. As long as they have the status of co-presidents of Destiny Pictures, isn't it just a matter of one sentence to discuss a project with a subsidiary of Destiny Pictures?

The two of them also understood this and nodded.

Okay, let's talk about it ourselves.