It seems like just yesterday that video game web sites and magazines were reporting breathlessly on each and every new video game property optioned for a theatrical release. But as quickly as the bandwagon can be boarded, it can also be abandoned at the slightest hint of bad news.
That bit of bad news came in the form of a quote by Paramount executive Wayne Lewellen, in which he blamed the latest Tomb Raider video game (which has been selling briskly despite bad reviews) for the failure of their latest Tomb Raider movie (which has been tanking amid bad reviews). Originally from a Reuters article:
"The only thing we can attribute that to is that the gamers were not happy with the latest version of the 'Tomb Raider' video game, which is our core audience."
Some sites, notably Adrenaline Vault and Gamespot reported the story evenly, mentioning the facts and providing a bit of context without jumping to any conclusions. But many sites used the quote as a peg to announce "The Death of Video Game/Movie Collaborations". How quick we are to judge...
Reuters: "The romance between Hollywood and the video game industry is suddenly a lot chillier."
Spong.com: "Is the romance over? We’ll have to wait and see."
EvilAvatar: "What is it that seems to always drive these two industries into conflict?"
GamerFeed: "Say it with me..video game movies don't work...video game movies don't work...video game movies don't work."
It could be argued that these quotes are merely an analysis of the new relationship between video game makers and movie makers in light of Mr. Lewellen's quote. This is a valid point, but good news analysis usually involves more than one data point as a basis for a new trend. None of these articles cite any other evidence to support their claim that video game-based movies are on the outs. Instead, one angry, finger-pointing executive becomes the spokesman for the whole movie industry. A little digging could have revealed whether Mr. Lewellen's thoughts were shared by others in the gaming and movie communities, or how other video game movies have been doing at the box office. But no one seems to have bothered with this extra reporting, and the de facto assumption is that the honeymoon between hollywood and silicon valley is over. Analysis is all well and good, but only when you have suitable data to analyze.
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