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Bobby Kotick Discusses Direct-to-Consumer Video Game Movies

Posted September 15, 2010 by Ben Strauss

Bobby Kotick has a history of trying to monetize every aspect of the gaming world. There can be no denying that the man has taken Activision into a new age, thrusting the company into the limelight as the largest developer and publisher in the business. It is that drive that continues to make Kotick reach for the goal of turning Activision into the most profitable entertainment company in the industry, and video game movies direct to the consumer could be the next step in that goal.

Speaking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in Newport Beach, CA, Kotick discussed the potential for consumers to dive into rendered video game movies.  Concerning Blizzard's StarCraft, and the fact that the game contains about an hour’s worth of cut scenes, he said he believes that the in-game engine for many games could serve alternative purposes.

"If we were to take that hour, or hour and a half, take it out of the game, and we were to go to our audiences for whom we have their credit card information as well as a direct relationship and ask, 'Would you like to have the StarCraft movie?', my guess is that ... you'd have the biggest opening weekend of any film ever."

He argues that unlike film studios, which are stuck with a model that requires theatrical distribution, Activision Blizzard could go directly to consumers via online. Kotick mentioned, purely speculatively, that prices for a movie such as that could go for $20 to $30.

Though speculative right now, “within the next five years, you are likely to see us do that. That may be a partnership with somebody, it may be alone,” he added. "But there will be a time where we capitalize on the relationship that we have with our audience, and deliver them something that is really extraordinary and let them consume it directly through us instead of theatrical distribution."

The presentation included unspecified research conducted by Activision, stating that consumers would be very receptive to the idea. "An extremely high percentage [of consumers] would then go to the theater then watch it again. That's the nature of our consumer -- a very enthusiast consumer," he said.

The idea is to break away from the Hollywood and gaming industry relationship currently in place. Kotick believes that Activision can turn away from movie studios, film distributors and others within the movie industry, in an effort to retain profits at Activision.

"For starters, our virtual characters don't have agents, they don't have managers, they don't have lawyers," he said. Kotick noted inherent inefficiencies in the way TV and films are made as well, such as in the case of a re-shoot, having to schedule and gather directors, actors, cameramen and other resources to come back and redo a scene.

"Our business is the exact opposite," he said. "We can iterate and test and iterate and test until we get a really great result. And if you have the scale, the resources, capability and discipline that we have, that ensures a much better commercial result." 

Referencing the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops, Kotick mentioned that facial animation and other technologies are rapidly approaching the point where he believes virtual actors can step in line with the real flesh and blood counterpart.

[Thanks to Gamasutra]

Ben is a recent graduate of Xavier University.  You can see him ramble on about gaming, gamification, military-related gaming and manly things on his Twitter @Sinner101GR.