Uncharted

Los Angeles Times:

In 2022, video games appear to be the next big intellectual property arena for movie studios and streaming services. “Uncharted” comes shortly after L.A. studio Riot Games had a hit with Netflix’s adult animation series “Arcane,” weeks before a “Sonic the Hedgehog” sequel and “Halo” series for Paramount+, and months before HBO, with Druckmann’s heavy involvement, launches a series based on the somber, traumatic, zombie-inspired game “The Last of Us.”

Druckmann, who has directed an episode of “The Last of Us,” says the influence of film and television on games will only continue and vice versa. That’s expected, especially as society leans more toward participatory types of entertainment, be it games, TikTok or the way gaming community Discord has continued to infiltrate mainstream communication.

“I had the privilege of directing an episode for the HBO show, and it’s just learning how they handle cinematography or how they plan shots. So there’s a creative side to that — just how you’re thinking about clarity of storytelling. In this instance, each shot has to have a single purpose. You’re not trying to get muddy with too many ideas in one shot. It reflects a lot of our thinking in how we’re approaching games. But it’s just reinforcing the notion of clarity.”

Holland is just happy games are being taken seriously as IP. While making the media rounds for “Uncharted,” Holland has even expressed a desire to some interviewers to make a live action “Jak and Daxter” film. Turns out that time in front of a screen as a kid is paying off.

“I recently just bought the Oculus Rift and was using that, which is pretty cool,” Holland says of the Meta-owned virtual reality headset. “I love how when we were kids our parents used to tell us, ‘Don’t sit too close to the TV or your eyes will go square.’ And now kids are like, ‘Shove these screens in your eyes! It’s really cool.”

It’s also evidence that the video game generation has arrived.

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