That Guillermo del Toro has been working on a game with THQ is not news. That much was rumoured as far back as August and confirmed by Del Toro in September. We do not know what the game will be or what studio is handling developer duties. Those two questions will be answered before long though and we will get to find out whether, as rumoured, Volition are the studio.
We just need to wait until mid-December for Spike TV’s VGA Awards. Joystiq report that during his keynote speech at the IGDA Leadership Forum that THQ’s Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, said they “will be announcing the game title and the studio and all of that on the VGA awards in about a month.”
As a big fan of Del Toro’s films since first discovering Cronos back in the days when LaserDisc was the videophile’s medium of choice I cannot wait to find out more about his video game collaboration. Many of you are more likely to be familiar with his work in the form of the sublime Pan’s Labyrinth or the stylish Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
What little we do know about the game is as a result of comments Del Toro made to MTV back in September when THQ were still in ‘we can neither confirm or deny that’ mode:
“It’s horror…but it’s a very different type of horror game. It’s not survival horror. It’s truly a strange, geeky mix. It’s a Lovecraftian thing. Let’s leave it at that.”
That Del Toro would be working on a horror game will have come as no surprise to fans of his cinematic creations. This is a man whose household considers Left 4 Dead to be “a family game”. That it is a “Lovecraftian thing” is also great news. I am as much a fan of the works of H. P. Lovecraft as I am Del Toro and I have not enjoyed a Lovecraftian game since Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem on the GameCube. Like that game, his is said to be an “original” title and therefore not a game of any of Lovecraft’s stories.
Until earlier this year Del Toro was handling direction duties on the two-part screen adaptation of The Hobbit. However, MGM’s financial troubles led to delays in the production of The Hobbit which in turn led to Del Toro stepping down. The result of that is that he became free to work on the film of Lovecraft’s At The Mountains Of Madness which is due for release in 2013.
That year leads us back to those MTV comments again where we find what is perhaps the closest we come to bad news on the game front; how long we will have to wait.
“With THQ we’re looking at around a three year developing deadline for each game. Big games. More details forthcoming, but we are truly exploring them in a serious manner. Expect the first game, best case scenario, 2013.”
2013 feels like a long way away at the moment but if we get the chance to watch Del Toro’s vision of Lovecraft’s twisted reality and play in his own original Lovecraftian realm it will be a year worth waiting for.
Apologies that this is another announcement-of-an-announcement type post but it’s got me looking forward to the announcement and I felt like sharing. :-)
Dany2Step
Almost excited. Too long of a potential wait to get properly excited.
project84music
I’m interested to see what this could be, he has great vision and I really hope that that will shine through in any games he makes. Plus, I will never say no to a new horror game =]
DrNate86
So he is making a Lovecraftian film, due to be released in 2013, and a mysterious Lovecraftian game, due to be released in 2013. Mysterious.
rht992
if its a film tie in then i’m not holding much hope :(
scavenga
“Lovecraftian” was the word that secured my undivided attention… :D
The game looks so marvellous in my head right now, there’s no way I won’t be disappointed!
Foxhound_Solid
Love Hellboy 1 and 2 – like the stylised look, think this will be one to watch….
jayjay119
Is the ‘Core games’ the same studio as ‘Core design games’ that used to make Tomb Raider, I thought they were dismantled.
Watchful
No, it’s just part of his job title.
jayjay119
Ah ok, thanks. Confusion over.
LycanGav
If I ever had to have sex with a fat, ginger Mexican man, Guillermo would be my first choice. Utter genius. Awaiting this, like all his work, with bated breath.
shields_t
Ahhhhh, laserdisc, I miss that 747esque noise and having to change sides half way through a film. I would be very ashamed if I calculated how much money I burned on Laserdiscs back in the days.