It's hailed a sci-fi masterpiece, starred Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, and even had an eerie PC point-and-click spin-off in the '90s, but that hasn't stopped Gearbox Studios rejecting the chance of making a sparkly new Blade Runner game. It's reasoning is simple: it'd cost a bomb to make, and would barely sell a dribble...
"We chased it down and we couldda had it," Gearbox's bubbly president Randy Pitchford told Official Xbox Magazine. "But that one failed on the business side, because the way we wanted to do it we wanted to spend 25-million dollars. And when you do the math on that, we weren't going to make it back."
He went on: "You're going to spend 25-million, there's another 10-15-million risk just in the publishing process, and then you've got another 10-15 million marketing, and we didn't think that we could make that back. So that's too bad."
It's a real shame, the thought of a Blade Runner game re-envisioned by the Brothers In Arms team, would have had 'older' sci-fi and film fans rubbing hands in their droves. But a bit like when SCi did The Great Escape game (remember that?), albeit with an aesthetic 100-times more ambitious, we can definitely see their point...
I wouldn't mind the old point and click BladeRunner game being released for XboxLive or PSN. Monkey Island worked ok using a pad so this should work as well. Plus i got stuck in the game and couldn't get any further so any chance to go back and fiinish it would be welcome.
Probably a good move, but only from Gearbox's point of view.
I wouldn't have minded a developer like Quantic Dreams doing Bladerunner, using the Heavy Rain engine.
Imagine the questionnaires that the cops use to find out whether the folk are androids or not. You'd literally be able to see the flickers of their eyes.
Bladerunner is all about philosophy and moral dilemmas, rather than balls out action, so I reckon they would be perfect for the job.
What a bloody coincidence. I just loaded at the week end the pc version of blade runner point and click 4 disc set and what a game. The atmosphere is amazing. Be great in 3d and would fit nicely alongside the AVP game that’s due.
Almost didn't recognise Randy without the accompanying comment to critise Valve for something... or is this him leaking that Valve won the rights to Blade Runner?
Seriously though, I can see his point that it would be a high risk venture, particularly with an IP as old as Blade Runner, I don't think a lot of the younger games players would appricate the significance of the name. Not to mention Gearbox would have a lot to live up to if they tried it.
i love the film(got the 5 DVD box set thing)..and i would be up for buying a BladeRunner game...admittedly though,i would like to see the major stars in there remember the other Philip K Dick story that got changed to a film and then a video game?..Minority Report just didn't feel as authentic when you weren't playing as Tom Cruise
*Because it wouldn't sell, says Pitchford* You are kidding me, right? The greatest sci-fi movie ever made. Believe me...a game based on this movie would sell like crazy. Look at Bioshock & Mass Effect...2 games which have mirrored Blade Runner heavily in terms of style and score sold a bucketload of copies. I want to see this happen!
A Blade Runner MMO would be great. Like a sort of Second Life with guns and flying cars where people can play Replicants and mod themselves. Mind you, Gearbox can't even get Colonial Marines a guaranteed release... Poor Randy.
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