Konami hybrid UMDs create new PSP genre
When "Silent Hill" reaches theaters April 21, it also will usher in the
first product in a series that blends music and an interactive comic
together on Sony's PlayStation Portable.
Konami is releasing
"The Silent Hill Experience" as the first hybrid entertainment product
on Sony's Universal Media Disc, the small disc used exclusively on PSP.
The UMD is a growing market, according to the NPD Group, which reports
that more that 3.64 million PSP hardware units were sold last year.
"Silent Hill Experience" producer William Oertel said that PSP users
are looking for content that takes full advantage of the PSP's
multimedia capabilities. He added that while time did not permit the
team to include a playable demo or minigames on the disc, future
iterations would have some type of video game element.
Rather than offering a new game based on the popular horror franchise,
which already has spawned four games, the "Silent Hill Experience" UMD
will ship in conjunction with the theatrical release of Sony Pictures
Entertainment's "Silent Hill" movie.
Oertel says the first product is aimed at those who have played the
games as well as the new theatergoers who watch the film and might be
looking for background on the game franchise.
"Experience" will include as one of its main features an interactive
comic - which includes music and animated pictures - based on the new
movie. It also features an interview with Christophe Gans, the movie's
director, who will tie in the UMD content in with the film release.
Fans also will get 20 tracks from the "Silent Hill" game franchise by
Akira Yamaoka, augmented by an interview segment with the composer.
Rounding out the materials are the "Dying Inside" comic series, a
selection of cinematics from the four games and bonus Japanese
materials aimed at gamers.
"Konami is dedicated to making these experiences a new genre for PSP,"
Oertel says. "With 'Silent Hill,' we've created an experience that
transports fans into the world of Silent Hill and allows them to
interact with it."
Konami will ship a second hybrid in the genre with "Metal Gear Solid
Digital Comic" (working title), which is being overseen by famed video
game creator Hideo Kojima. The digital comic will go beyond just
clicking though scanned comic book pages because gamers will have to
investigate the story, link together plot points and complete the
puzzle.
Although pricing has not been finalized, Konami is expected to release
the "Silent Hill Experience" UMDs at a price comparable with UMD
movies, which sell for $20-$30, rather than UMD games, which sell for
$40-$50.
"What Konami is doing with its hybrid UMDs is right because it takes
advantage of the technology of PSP, which does much more than just play
movies," says Daniel Silverberg, executive director new business
development at Buena Vista Home Entertainment. "I think you'll see more
game companies explore the hybrid model because it's easier for a game
developer to create these kinds of experiences than a Hollywood
studio."
Silverberg believes that once Sony has a larger install base of PSP
hardware, Hollywood studios might experiment with more UMD hybrids.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment became the first studio to add
interactivity to the UMD when it release a special edition of "Stealth"
in the fall that included three levels from Sony Computer Entertainment
America's best-selling PSP launch title, "WipEout Pure." In addition to
the movie, the disc included two levels from the game and an exclusive
level featuring the plane from the "Stealth" movie.
Source:
AZcentral