Lionsgate is no stranger to film success, having produced a number of blockbusters like The Hunger Games films and Now You See Me amongst others. Now, it’s ready to take on the gaming world.
The Hollywood studio has announced that it will partner with Millennium Films producer Avi Lerner and game developer Fifth Journey to produce its first mobile game, based on the Expendables series. The films, which feature Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and other action stars kicking butt and taking names, have managed to gross nearly $800 million worldwide across three theatrical releases – so there’s definitely some appeal there for a mobile action game.
Per VentureBeat, this marks the newest investment by Lionsgate outside the film world, as it previously dabbled in virtual reality, as well as advertising via live streaming on Twitch.
Lionsgate president of interactive ventures and games Peter Levin stated that the team is hoping “to expand the universe of The Expendables” with the release.
Games are a great way to spread the message with action-based film releases, according to Levin, and the outreach of a popular franchise is a great way to hook fans into the mobile world. Previous games like The Hunger Games: Panem Rising have proven that, through a key partnership with Kabam. But now, it appears Lionsgate is ready to tackle the mobile world head-on.
Fifth Journey will bring its “development and publishing savvy” to The Expendables game, with Gameloft veteran Eric Tan heading up the team. He’s very familiar with bringing film franchises to the mobile front, having worked on games based on Iron Man 3, Ice Age and Despicable Me. He believes the team has “all the ingredients” needed to find success with the Expendables mobile game.
There’s no word yet on when the game will release, but it’s likely to arrive sometime next year for iOS and Android devices alike.
