Thursday 18-Nov-2004 1:13 PM Gravelly-voiced superstar lets slip that sequel to Butcher Bay is in the works. Will it sneak up on next-gen consoles? In an interview with a movie website Vin Diesel has revealed that a sequel to Starbreeze Studios' Xbox FPS The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is already in development.
Speaking about the future of the Riddick franchise, Diesel says, "I always thought that The Chronicles of Riddick is this intense ball of energy that hasn't really exploded. There's a sequel to the videogame being made."
Diesel doesn't discuss the new videogame version further, but does mention that "you'll have to see Riddick go to the Underverse and ultimately, you'll have to see him go back to Furia" without specifying if this will happen in the game, a new movie, or an animated feature.
We heard rumours about a sequel to Butcher Bay way back before the game was even released, and when we quizzed Lars Johansson, the game's producer, about it back in June he said, "I'm sure Riddick could carry off another game."
Interestingly, Riddick 2 could be an early PS3 and Xbox 2 title. Starbreeze have actively been recruiting programmers and artists to work on "the next generation of consoles" with positions available immediately, suggesting that work is already under way.
We've been in touch with Swedish-based Starbreeze but haven't received any statement from them.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay came from nowhere earlier this year and surprised everyone with its brutal FPS action and impressive visuals. It was a little on the short side, but what was there was of high enough quality to pick up the award for Unsung Hero of the Year at our recent Golden Joystick awards. Vin himself was involved with the production of the first game by helping to fund development through his own Tigon games company and lending his voice, ideas and image to the character of Riddick.
A "Director's Cut" PC version of Butcher Bay is imminent and a PS2 port is planned, but not yet confirmed.
And if the whole chronological sequence of all these games and movies is confusing you, don't worry - we feel the same. Here's the deal though: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is the prequel to Pitch Black, the first movie in which the character of Riddick appeared. Then comes The Chronicles of Riddick movie. Given that the movie itself underperformed at the box office it seems likely that a new Riddick game could follow up The Chronicles of Riddick movie. Get it? Good.
You can check out the interview here, and we'll bring you more news on Riddick 2 as we get it.
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