Syfy Leader Dork Howe Sets Sights on Game Titles (Exclusive Q&A)

As leader of Syfy, Dork Howe runs the direction of facets of the television networks' endeavors. In the last couple of years, he's established close ties with game marketers like THQ and Trion Mobile phone industry's so that they can converge the mobile phone industry's of game titles and traditional Hollywood programming. Syfy opened its first THQ gaming movie, Red-colored Faction: Armageddon, this summer time. And also the TV network is dealing with Trion Mobile phone industry's on Defiance, the earth's first massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming which will connect straight to a scripted, live action television series. Howe discusses the role game titles will have for Syfy continue within this exclusive interview. THR: How come we seeing a lot activity within the gaming space from Syfy this season? Howe: Our audiences really are a very large gaming playing audience. They understand technology. Game titles will always be on our horizon because our audience is really techno-savvy. I believe it's a mix of our ambition through a number of our endeavors to develop new companies and revenue streams, as well as an effort to produce new methods for telling tales to take advantage of within the new growth and development of technology. Gambling originates a hell of the lengthy way because the times of Pac-Guy. Present day large games like Cod create real-time tales and figures which are much nearer to the television movie experience of computer ever continues to be, so this is the time for all of us to actually take advantage of that. THR: The way your close ties with game the likes of THQ and Trion Mobile phone industry's alleviate a few of the challenges of turning game titles into Television shows and the other way around? Howe: We all know the standard Hollywood type of taking a current property and seeking to evolve it for any different media does not work. Most players would always deride the spin-off game from the movie franchise or even the spin-from a film from a game title franchise because they are usually produced afterwards. The figures within the story weren't created for individuals particular media. They have needed to be modified and retrofitted to ensure they are work. We desired to come in internet marketing more smartly and co-create and co-develop. THR: Basically, you are speaking in regards to a transmedia approach, correct? Howe: Yes. Everything is made to reside in another media. We produced these figures, tales and mythology understanding that they absolutely works in TV, movies or animated series. It had been always the intention before we even greenlit them, to ensure that provides for us a mind-start when it comes to making certain that we are in keeping with the figures and also the story in most media. I believe another key here's that almost all game titles from movies or TV series or TV series to movies from game titles involve a totally different creative team. This means that the vision from the director, authors and producers won't be the same because the team which are developing the overall game. Which inevitably impairs the prosperity of that game since it is just like a defective clone. THR: How has Defiance been created for present day multitasking game audience which frequently watches TV and finds online concurrently? Howe: Our audience is the main thing on everything digital. They are multitaskers. They are using DVRs, they are texting, they are streaming content in ways that not one other consumer associated with a other network is. Essentially, which means we can't ignore the idea that individuals are likely to arrived at an active linear TV knowledge about an expectation that they would like to experience entertainment concurrently across different screens and various platforms. Exactly what we all do needs to have that digital component. THR: How large part of your general programming would you see gaming content becoming for Syfy continue? Howe: I believe it's beginning for all of us. Trion was our initial partnership and that we joined into that 2 or 3 years back. We now have the partnership partnership with THQ. We simply introduced a gaming initiative whereby we are posting around six Facebook games. This can be a beginning of the items hopefully is going to be a hostile expansion and that we do honestly think that his can be a ripe chance for Syfy to take advantage of and also the right chance to actually exploit the passion, the eye, the habits, and also the entertainment consumption habits in our audience in ways that we have never been able to perform previously. We are very looking forward to games and that we view it like a large growth chance for all of us within the next five to ten years. THR: Writer Bigpoint has over two million registered gamers for Battlestar Galactica Online without Television show airing. What exactly are your ideas concerning the possibilities the internet gaming space reveals for Battlestar along with other Television shows current or past? Howe: I believe if you have a house like Battlestar Galactica, it's timeless. Yet it is good to possess a TV series on air concurrently, but you no longer need. Battlestar is really a franchise that's been around because the 1980s. We required a run in internet marketing. Universal Pictures I believe includes a large development and potentially another movie. It is a known franchise which will always work if you're in keeping with its spirit and also you really find the correct vehicle to produce qualities and games that may reside in isolation. We'd positive results using the TV series. We have seen positive results using the gaming. We are creating a potential pilot for an additional spin-off series, Bloodstream and Chrome, that will launch the coming year. We now have an incredible franchise that you want to still exploit regardless of if the TV series is on air. THR: Does the prosperity of the Battlestar game open other possibilities for that Battlestar franchise? Howe: Yes, it's. It has. It verifies what we should expected, the franchise is larger than the usual TV series that people are actually running. It states to us it's an incredible property that people could develop and grow. We could determine new methods to tell the storyline and also to spin from the story. You are able to anticipate more Battlestar Galactica spin-offs later on. Related Subjects SyFy