Ender's Game coming to XBLA, PSN

[Queasy]

Press Release

Science fiction fans who love videogames, start your rejoicing. Later today, award-winning author Orson Scott Card and Chair Entertainment--the creative team responsible for Advent Rising and Undertow--will officially announce plans to turn Card's beloved novel "Ender's Game" into a, well, game. But you can read the announcement here first. The interactive game won't tackle the entire book, however; instead, it will focus on the famed Battle Room. And in something of a twist, Ender's Game is being built from the ground up for digital distribution via services like Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network rather than DVD or Blu-Ray, immediately making it the highest profile download-only title to date. See below for the release that's going out later today; click here to read our exclusive interview with Chair co-founders (and brothers) Donald and Geremy Mustard.

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"THE ENEMY?S GATE IS DOWN!"

CHAIR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP SECURES INTERACTIVE RIGHTS TO ORSON SCOTT CARD?S BESTSELLING ENDER?S GAME SERIES

First-Ever "Battle Room" Video Games to Bring Classic Literary Series to Life

Salt Lake City, Utah ? January 29, 2008 ? Chair Entertainment Group, an independent video game production company and creators of the award-winning Undertow, and bestselling author, Orson Scott Card, today announced their partnership to create the first-ever video games inspired by the legendary "Battle Room," featured in the beloved literary classic, Ender?s Game. Ender?s Game is an award-winning, international bestseller and one of the most popular science fiction novels ever written.

Under the terms of the agreement, Chair has obtained the exclusive rights to develop Ender?s Game "Battle Room" video games across all next-generation consoles, handheld platforms, and PC. In collaboration with Orson Scott Card, Chair will begin development later this year with the first offering expected for release via downloadable platforms.

"I have been a huge fan of Ender's Game since I was ten years old, so it is a true honor for our team to be entrusted with creating the first video game inspired by this classic story,? said Donald Mustard, creative director at Chair Entertainment Group. "Our goal is to create an authentic Ender?s Game experience that delivers awesome gameplay and can be enjoyed by both longtime fans and gamers new to the series."

"From the moment I started working with Donald Mustard and his team at Chair, I knew that these were the guys I wanted to do the first Ender's Game video game,? said Orson Scott Card. "It's not enough to slap the Ender's Game name on just any game--it has to be exciting, memorable, and endlessly replayable. Chair shares my understanding of this and I am looking forward to working with them to ensure the game is as authentically Enderish as possible."

In the fictional Ender?s Game universe, humanity is at war with an alien species known as the Formics, and Battle School is the training ground for the future leaders of Earth?s International Fleet. Taken at a very young age, Earth?s most brilliant children undergo a rigorous training designed to teach advanced military theory where strategic and tactical glory is won in the null gravity battles known to the elite students simply as the game! Through simulated war games and training conducted in the Battle Room, the children rise through the ranks of Battle School to become Earth?s only hope for victory.

The two parties previously collaborated on the Chair Entertainment Group property Empire, which the Company introduced in 2006 with the launch of an Orson Scott Card-written bestselling novel of the same name. A feature film based on Empire is in development by Warner Brothers and Chair has future plans for video games and comic books based on the property.

Gamers and long-time Ender?s Game fans are invited to share their thoughts on Orson Scott Card?s popular website, www.hatrack.com, and the official Chair forums at: www.chairentertainment.com/community/forums/

Interview with the devs

Sounds very interesting. Can't wait to see what direction they take this with the battle room and if they can pull it off. Those were some of the funnest parts of the book.

 

[EvilComputer92]

One of the best books I've read, in addition to Ender's Shadow. The rest of the trilogy sucked though.

The idea for a game seems a bit strange through. Fighting in battle school would kind of suck. I would prefer an RTS game where you actually had to fight the buggers.

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: EvilComputer92
One of the best books I've read, in addition to Ender's Shadow. The rest of the trilogy sucked though.

The idea for a game seems a bit strange through. Fighting in battle school would kind of suck. I would prefer an RTS game where you actually had to fight the buggers.

Trilogy? You missed a few.

Cant wait for the game 🙂

 

[EvilComputer92]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: EvilComputer92
One of the best books I've read, in addition to Ender's Shadow. The rest of the trilogy sucked though.

The idea for a game seems a bit strange through. Fighting in battle school would kind of suck. I would prefer an RTS game where you actually had to fight the buggers.

Trilogy? You missed a few.

Cant wait for the game 🙂

I read Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Shadow of the Hedgmon, and loved all three. I read halfway through Speaker for the Dead but hated it, and same with Xenocide and Children of the Mind. I actually enjoyed Bean's story much more than Enders overall. Ender should have killed off all those Formics. 😛 Bean is much more of a cold and calculating killer.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: EvilComputer92

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: EvilComputer92
One of the best books I've read, in addition to Ender's Shadow. The rest of the trilogy sucked though.

The idea for a game seems a bit strange through. Fighting in battle school would kind of suck. I would prefer an RTS game where you actually had to fight the buggers.

Trilogy? You missed a few.

Cant wait for the game 🙂

I read Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Shadow of the Hedgmon, and loved all three. I read halfway through Speaker for the Dead but hated it, and same with Xenocide and Children of the Mind. I actually enjoyed Bean's story much more than Enders overall. Ender should have killed off all those Formics. 😛 Bean is much more of a cold and calculating killer.

Bean was an annoying, lifeless, snotty little brat. I hated him, and I hated his book. The entire concept of a him being little homeless toddler running around like a little gangsta was absurd and laughable, even in a sci-fi book where absurdity is practically the nature of the genre. The entire concept of the book was a pale attempt to cash in by retelling the exact same story again.

Ender, on the other hand, was certified bad ass, although he became a bit of a poon after the next few books.

But anyways...yes, the game sounds sweet. 🙂

 

[Aikouka]

I loved the first book and I have to say it was the only book I read when I was younger that I actually liked. Being weird I tried to skip to the 4th book (Children of the Mind) and was completely lost without reading Shadow of the Hedgemon and Xenocide. I only read a little bit of Ender's Shadow but it was interesting.

This might be kind of hard to implement as I remember there being quite a lot of kicking off walls and such as huge tactical maneuvers.

I wonder if the plans to make an Ender's Game movie ever got off the ground.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
This might be kind of hard to implement as I remember there being quite a lot of kicking off walls and such as huge tactical maneuvers.

That had me wondering as well. Since there is no hint as to whether or not this is going to be a first-person/third-person or a RTS type of game, there's no telling.

I wonder if the plans to make an Ender's Game movie ever got off the ground.

Nope. Still has not happened.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: Queasy
That had me wondering as well. Since there is no hint as to whether or not this is going to be a first-person/third-person or a RTS type of game, there's no telling.

I'd imagine that it'd be a FPS like game or maybe third person. I'd imagine that the UE3 engine and the whole hiding behind things would work well for this game. I don't remember the rules horribly well... does wikipedia have an outline or something?

Originally posted by: Queasy
Nope. Still has not happened.

I doubt it ever will unless they go Beowulf on it.

 

[Fingolfin269]

It was flagged as 'pre-production' on imdb this month. Perhaps it is finally moving forward? I'm not sure I would want it to be made into a movie though to be honest. I just don't see how it would work.

 

[imported_Uber]

I have got to get me a PS3.

As for the books, I always considered Ender's story a separate series from Bean's.

 

[ChaoZ]

I predict that this game will suck. I don't think the books will translate too well in to a game.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

i enjoyed the entire ender's/bean's series, and eagerly wait for "Shadows in Flight."

I can't wait for this game!!!! I'm assuming fans will always like it hehehe.

I trust Orson Scott Card's judgement though. He's been in the gaming business for a long time. He wrote insult sword fighting for Monkey Island!

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: ChaoZ
I predict that this game will suck. I don't think the books will translate too well in to a game.

I think it could be good but as they mentioned, it will not be a simple PopCap style game. At least they aren't trying to release it as a normal game like what happened with Tetris Evolution as it seems it will require a higher production value to be good but pushing out essentially such a specific game as a full game.... I doubt it'd work without being more geared as a story-based game following the book.

Like I mentioned above, I think if they design it with the ability to guard like in GoW and R6V and allow you to press a button or an easy combination to jump off the walls.

After reading a bit more about the Battle School on wikipedia, I remember they used tactics like freezing their own people and didn't they also freeze their legs?

 

[gorcorps]

Does anybody remember that ball game that you played in FFX (can't remember name)? I don't know why, but I think that might be a good starting point for this.

Or maybe more turned based stuff like KOTOR. That might work fairly well.