Vidgame 'The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay' will come from Vin Diesel's Tigon Studios and Vivendi Universal Games.
Vin Diesel's Tigon Studios, a vidgame production company the action star founded in 2002, will have its first release this summer in the adaptation of "The Chronicles of Riddick," which it is co-publishing with Vivendi Universal Games.
Diesel signed a separate deal for the "Riddick" game on top of his $11 million payday for the film. While no information on the game payday was available, similar deals for top stars to provide extensive voiceover work, as well as physical likeness rights, have reached low seven figures.
Tigon is the only production company devoted to games to be founded by a major thesp, and release of "Riddick" marks one of the most in-depth collaborations between Hollywood talent and a vidgame developer to date.
Titled "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay," vidgame is a prequel to both "Chronicles of Riddick" and 2000's "Pitch Black," in which the Riddick character first appeared.
Game, which provides an origin for Riddick, was conceived in part by David Twohy, writer and helmer of both films, and Diesel, who provided a number of suggestions for his character. Tigon also had a producer working with the staff of VU Games and developer Starbreeze throughout game production.
"This is the first time we've co-published with an actor's own production company," noted Nicholas Longano, VP of group marketing at VU Games. "It brings about a high level of credibility. People playing know it's a vision that's been laid out by Vin Diesel."
Development on the game first began nearly two years ago, before a script for "Riddick" had been approved -- a primary reason it is based on an entirely original story. But according to Bill Kispert, VP of interactive for U's consumer products group, developing original stories is part of the studio's plan for future vidgame adaptations.
"More and more we're not just doing beat-for-beat adaptations," he explained. "Seeing the movie and playing the game should be different but complementary experiences so fans have incentives to enjoy them both."
Tigon Studios' first announced project, action-adventure title "Perrone," hasn't yet been released. But Tigon is in development on a number of other titles, according to a source close to the company.
"The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay" will be released exclusively for Xbox several days before the pic opens on June 11.
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