An Interactive Timeline

Karen Jones -- Publishers Weekly, 11/1/1999

In the true spirit of "multimedia," author/director/screenwriter Michael Crichton is one of today's most successful creators of popular entertainment. This year he launched Timeline Studios, a computer games company, and is poised to re-enter the digitalized world of interactive software.

In 1982 Crichton designed a computer game called Amazon, but, as he tells PW, found the technology of the day limiting: "We were trying to do something where the technology wasn't up to it, so I said I'm not going to do this again till the technology is."

No longer considered a niche market, the interactive entertainment industry encompasses PC- and Internet-based games plus console platforms including the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy. With a PC installed in 53% of all U.S. households and a console in 25%, the industry has become a mass market juggernaut, and is expected to top $7 billion dollars this year, surpassing domestic movie box office receipts.

No Time Like the Present

Crichton has returned to computer gaming not only because the technology has skyrocketed but because he admits to being less than pleased with several interactive interpretations of his Jurassic Park franchise. Collaborator Michael Backes (who co-wrote the screenplay for Rising Sun and appears as a fictional character in some of Crichton's books, including Jurassic Park and Timeline), put Crichton in touch with Virtus founder David Alan Smith. Interestingly, Virtus copublished bestselling author Tom Clancy's first CD-ROM, Tom Clancy's SSN (with Simon & Schuster Interactive) and Smith later put together the team for Clancy's Red Storm Entertainment company.

Smith is now president and CEO of Timeline Studios, and calls Crichton "The most amazing man I've ever had to work with. He's extraordinarily collaborative and understands the value of a team approach to these kinds of interactive projects."

Smith also tells PW that Crichton has a clear understanding of the differences between linear mediums such as books, movies, etc., and the interactive world. No matter how engrossing a book or movie may be, the reader or audience will always be an observer, unable to alter the storyline. This is not so in interactive entertainment, where the raison d'Ãªtre is to provide the user with an immersive environment and a real game to play through. There was a time when this distinction wasn't properly addressed, and some interactive adaptations of popular book, movie and television franchises fell flat. However, there has been a significant learning curve for all, and a renewed emphasis on cross-media convergence.

Back to the Future

The first release from Timeline Studios will be -- no surprise here -- the interactive adaptation of Crichton's new novel, Timeline, a fast-paced adventure tale involving a rescue mission from the 20th century back to the 14th. Timeline certainly seems a natural for computer gaming, especially since medieval/fantasy worlds and science-fiction scenarios are popular themes.

Described by Smith as a cross between Quake, an action shooter, and MYST, a fantasy/adventure title, Timeline, the game, will follow the book's premise and feature most of the characters, plus it will showcase the graphic reconstruction of a bygone era. "This is something that Michael is very excited about," says Smith. "Here's the re-creation of a world that's lost, and our technology is so good that we're able to produce a very accurate representation of what that medieval world looked like."

While Crichton brings his finely tuned sense of storytelling to the interactive medium, he also brings cinematic expertise. "I have a narrative and movie background, so I'm inclined to look at the game in terms of a movie," he explains. However, he stops short of calling interactive entertainment a new art form, and offers, "It's just a word. Are movies an art form, or television? This is a medium, and that's the nonjudgmental version of it."

In a way, players of Timeline, the game, will have the best of several entertainment mediums. They will not only see an historically accurate depiction of 1357 France, but become immersed in the often violent world of medieval intrigue, warfare and chivalry. Players will have to learn to interact safely with 14th-century denizens (beware the dark knight!), including peasants, warriors, lords and ladies, while trying to stay alive in a very dangerous time. Smith observes, "That's the beauty and value of these interactive technologies... we're actually going to take you back to the 14th century. It's a game called Timeline but it really is time travel."

Retail Sales

Timeline Studios is also in partnership with Eidos Interactive, best known for its top-selling Tomb Raider franchise, which will publish the games. Paul Baldwin, v-p of marketing for Eidos, knows the value of having a bestselling author on the box at retail. "He has a tremendous track record of success, and a tremendous following... we are going to try to leverage that." Meanwhile, Timeline the game is being designed to appeal to the mass market audience as well as to the experienced gamer.

Mike Davila, editorial director of GameWEEK, the trade magazine of the interactive entertainment industry, notes, "It definitely is a plus having Michael Crichton re-enter the interactive marketplace. He brings his storytelling expertise to an industry that needs a little motivation sometimes." As for the possible downside, Davila cautions that Timeline Studios shouldn't make the mistake of just remixing Crichton's previous works into games, and offers, "New ideas must be introduced and every effort made to ensure that the game lives up to the standards expected from that individual's work."

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