Ripten Real-Time: Capcom Press Conference

by Andrew Podolsky on July 15, 2008 at 4:40 pm

It’s the second day of E3, and we’re about to head over to the Capcom Press Conference. We’ll begin liveblogging from 4:30 pm PST on, so check back shortly for our immediate, firsthand response to Capcom’s big announcements.

5:01 pm: The press conference is underway, and some big news– Lost Planet film confirmed! Script written by David “Voice of Solid Snake” Hayter. They’re starting a panel right now.

Avid Arad, Chairman of Arad productions, is talking about games that have major themes, like love and hope, with interesting villains and heroes. The theme of the movie/game is energy, that which gives us the ability to survive.

They’re showing some concept art, character designs, alien designs, and interiors. I’m just hoping it’s better than Doom. “Not on the page, not on the stage”, meaning that it’s all about the script. Now he’s talking about David’s vision of the film, which is hopefully to respect the source material while making Lost Planet a blockbuster film. Avi expects this to be a big franchise, and he thinks there will be more games (which he wouldn’t say if he wasn’t sure).

Now here’s David Hayter. He’s worked with Avi before, and says he has exceptional taste. David says he wants big movies, with big stories behind them. He also says he likes the main character’s story arc, and the snowy expanse that is the background. He cites John Carpenter’s The Thing with reverence. David passes things off to Ari Arad, Avi’s son.

Ari Arad, President of Arad production, speaks briefly about his excitement for the project, and then passes the stage to Keiji Inafune, the maker of Lost Planet (also the creator of Mega Man, Onimusha, and Dead Rising). Inafune says he fully expected to turn Lost Planet into a movie while they were making the game.

Inafune says things like massive robots, which the Japanese do well, are one reason he predicts success for the Lost Planet film. Speaking through a translator, he says that these elements were natural for a transition to movies. Inside Capcom, that was the understanding, but they met some resistance outside of Capcom.

So, Inafune says, it was great to meet Avi and find him to be receptive to the idea. Keiji says, essentially, that Avi understood his vision. Keiji’s team put blood, sweat, and tears into it, and they want a successful transition to the movie world. Since David Hayter knows movies, and games, and can speak Japanese, he’s the best person to bring this vision to life through his writing.

After a few more speakers from Capcom (who don’t really say much more than what’s already been said), the conference is concluded. This was the only item for discussion here. Hopefully we’ll get to see more on the show floor and in the Capcom meeting rooms.

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