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'Taxi Driver' fare game for video (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=8449265&src=rss/technologyNews)
Wed May 11, 2005 12:57 AM ET

By John Gaudiosi

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Everyone remembers watching Robert De Niro's Travis Bickle face himself in a mirror and demand, "You talkin' to me?"

Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" has been a part of popular culture ever since, and now Majesco Entertainment Co. has acquired a licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to publish it as a video game.

Edison, N.J.-based Majesco said Tuesday that it will publish a video game next year for next-generation consoles to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the film. Developer Papaya Studio is working on the game, which will make its debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2005, which runs May 18-20 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The original movie was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture.

"'Taxi Driver' remains one of the most iconoclastic films of our time," Majesco marketing vp Ken Gold said. "Compelling and powerful, the movie ensnares viewers in the seedy urban world of New York cabbie Travis Bickle, and we hope to do likewise with our game."

Mark Caplan, Sony Pictures Consumer Products executive director Interactive, said he's confident that Majesco and Papaya Studio will create a game that successfully makes the transition from film to the video game world.

The movie's cast featured De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd and Peter Boyle. Majesco said it is exploring options to include talent from the film in the game; those details, along with more information, will be forthcoming.

This marks the second time Majesco has done a game marking the 30th anniversary of a notable movie. The company will ship "Jaws Unleashed" in the summer for Xbox and PS 2.

This article is a sham. No marketing guy knows what iconoclastic means. It's against everything they stand for.

The Sopranos: The video game (http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/12/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/)

Tony, Carmella and Uncle Junior headed to an Xbox near you?

May 12, 2005: 1:37 PM EDT
Game Over is a weekly column by Chris Morris
      
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – In Tony Sopranos' world, when secrets gets spilled, blood gets spilled. In the video game world, when secrets get spilled, gamers get thrilled.

The Sopranos, HBO's hit series based on the life of a conflicted, but brutal mob boss, is being made into a video game. THQ will publish the game, which is expected in the first half of 2006, said Banc of America analyst Gary Cooper in a report released Thursday.

A formal announcement may come as early as next week at E3, the annual trade show of the video game industry, though sources tell me that's not likely.

THQ described the report as "speculation," but when asked if an announcement was forthcoming spokesperson Julie MacMedan declined to comment.

If you think about it, The Sopranos are tailor made for a video game, given the success of "Grand Theft Auto" and its knock-offs. And the gangster theme is red-hot these days with publishers. Electronic Arts (Research) will publish an adaptation of "The Godfather" this fall, featuring the voice work and images of Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and James Caan.

The publisher choice is a bit surprising at first glance (THQ (Research) is widely known for its children's titles), but the company has been actively courting a more hard-core audience over the past year, publishing games such as "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War" and "Full Spectrum Warrior".

The Sopranos game is just one of the as-yet unannounced titles Cooper discussed in the note.

If a game could allow you to plan heists and then carry them out (including the inevitable shootouts, ala Reservoir Dogs and Heat), it might kinda fun. Recon, mission planning, execution, then mayhem? I am all over it.