New player banking on film-based games

LOS ANGELES – For decades, video game companies have drawn inspiration from Hollywood, borrowing movie characters, settings and story lines for game titles. But the results have been decidedly mixed, leading to a checkered reputation for the quality of movie-based games and a wariness between game makers and Hollywood.

A new games start-up, Brash Entertainment LLC, plans to better merge the creative talents from both industries, in large part by focusing entirely on producing games based on movies, television shows and other entertainment properties instead of developing its own content. Recently formed in Los Angeles by veterans from both industries, Brash was expected to announce Monday that it has raised $400 million from investors including Abry Partners LLC, New York Life Capital Partners and PPM America.

That is a whopping sum in the games business, where attempts to create major companies are rare because of competition from an array of well-entrenched publishers and developers like Electronic Arts Inc., Activision Inc. and others. Brash says it has cut deals with five major Hollywood studios, licensed 40 film properties, including Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.’s “Saw” horror series, and is actively developing 12 games.

Brash’s bet comes as at least one big company – EA, the world’s largest games publisher – is increasing its development of original games and lessening dependence on Hollywood properties, which can come with high licensing fees and other restrictions.

But Brash believes the growth of the games market has created room for a new player. To make a mark, Brash will have to demonstrate it can consistently make top-notch games, rather than the hastily pumped-out titles that have tarnished the image of movie-based games.

“Across the board, they (movie-based games) haven’t met industry expectations,” says Mitch Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of Brash.

Game and movie industry executives trace the problems of movie-based games, in part, to the difficulty of translating a linear medium like movies into a compelling interactive game experience. Because one of the big attractions of doing a movie game is that game makers can piggyback on marketing campaigns for the film, game makers are often forced to rush their titles to market.

Brash’s much larger competitors aren’t all backing away from Hollywood. While EA is boosting its original-game development, the company is still actively seeking to license major entertainment properties for development in games, says Patrick O’Brien, the EA vice president of business affairs.

“A number of us are all making movie games and will continue to do so,” says Mr. O’Brien. The Redwood Shores, Calif., company is working on a game due out this fall based on “The Simpsons” TV series.