Hollywood Effects House Enters Game Development

Officials from special effects production house Digital Domain have announced that the company is to begin developing its own video games, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times quoting Hollywood director and co-chairman Michael Bay. Bay, best known for blockbusters such as Armageddon and the forthcoming Transformers, helped to spearhead a purchase of Digital Domain in May 2006 by investment firm Wyndcrest Holdings. Initially associated with Titanic director James Cameron and his long time special effects partner Stan Winston, Digital Domain has produced visual effects for over sixty movies, including Apollo 13, The Fifth Element and I, Robot. Speaking to the LA Times, Bay indicates that a move into game development was a key inducement in his helping to acquire Digital Domain, saying; “"I make world-class images. Why not put those images into a game?" The first game to be produced will apparently be a first person shooter, with four to five games planned over the next two years. Although no details are given on any of the titles they are described as being “tied to Digital Domain's visual-effects projects, appealing to a range of styles and genres.” Digital Domain is also described as allowing filmmakers to “direct” their own games based on film properties. At the same time as building its own internal studio Digital Domain, it also plans to acquire one or more external game firms this year.