DC Comics, Sony Online Ent. Inc. (SOE) and Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. (WBIE) announced plans to collaborate with legendary comicbook illustrator Jim Lee to work on a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO) based on the DC Comics universe.
SOE will be developing and publishing a game based on the DC Comics universe for next generation gaming platforms and the PC. It is expected that Lee will serve as exec creative director on the game, bringing his artistic flair and talents to the world of online gaming for the first time.
My position at DC has afforded me the amazing opportunity to dive into projects I am most passionate about. The DC MMO is no exception and joins my current commitments to ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN with writer Frank Miller and the upcoming WILDCATS series with visionary Grant Morrison as dream projects, said Lee. The truth is that I love gaming as much as I love drawing and telling stories and look forward to bringing the DC Universe to life for players and comic book fans all around the world.
As a passionate online gamer and one of the most creative talents ever to work with the DC heroes, Jim is the perfect person to help build an online DC universe that our fans can become part of on a daily basis, said DC Comics president/publisher Paul Levitz. The SOE team, working with Jim's creative guidance, are building a new way for gamers and comic fans to unite and enjoy our legendary characters and their complex universe.
We couldnt be happier to have an icon like Jim Lee involved with this project, said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Ent. SOE, WBIE and DC will be working together closely on this project and Jims contributions will be key to bringing the amazing world of DC Comics to life online.
Utilizing his outstanding and widely revered talent, Jim Lees ground-breaking work on the DC MMO will help lend authenticity and strength to the games design, said Jason Hall, svp of Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. His iconic art style and creative direction will enhance the look and feel of the game overall.
What intrigues me most about the DC MMO is how we can continue to tell the great stories DC is known for in this new medium and look forward in particular to the challenge of perhaps one day, simultaneously bringing stories to life in both print and pixel form, said Lee. True to their moniker, MMOs are massive undertakings and I look forward to working on the game and continuing to draw comics for many, many years to come at DC.
Lee, the artist on 2005s best-selling comicbook in the U.S., ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER, is one of the most recognizable and talented artists in the medium. His recent work on the blockbuster series BATMAN: HUSH AND SUPERMAN: FOR TOMORROW brought critical acclaim, as well as a new look and feel to two of DC Comics iconic characters.
DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Ent. company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC super heroes and others have starred in comicbooks, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace. DC Comics Web site is located at www.dccomics.com.
Sony Online Ent. Inc. (SOE), a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Digital Inc., is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. SOE is headquartered in San Diego, with additional development studios in Austin, Seattle and Taiwan.
Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc., a Warner Bros. Ent. company, is a premier licensor and a developer of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including consoles, PC-based gaming and wireless applications.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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