The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Whilst it is becoming increasingly common for developers to take a more liberal approach with their film licences, producing a game either loosely based on the brand or instead offering a companion narrative, Vivendi has gone back to basics with its upcoming The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor by producing a title that directly mirrors the happenings in the upcoming movie of the same name.

As product manager Gary Chantler explains: “The third instalment of The Mummy franchise will centre on the adventures of the popular characters Rick and Evy O’Donnell and their now grown son Alex, played by Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello and Luke Ford respectively. In addition, the film will introduce Jet Li as an all new and formidable type of mummy.

“The game will feature hand-to-hand and weapons-based combat, magic, puzzle solving and hieroglyphic decoding and the action will take place in London and the more exotic locales of China, India and Egypt.

“The team has worked hard to make sure the player feels as though they are part of the experience.

“For instance, with the Wii version, you can use the Wiimote and Nunchuck to open ancient doors and solve set puzzle sequences. It’s a good use of the console’s unique controls and one that really brings the player into the filmic experience.”

Working with a licence is something of a double-edged sword, as we all know, providing on the one hand a rich base of reference and design to work from, but conversely constraining the boundaries that can or cannot be explored by the developers.

Chantler, however, adds that the challenges of such development are procedural as much as creative:

“Launching a movie-licensed title is always challenging in terms of the extra approval processes you have to go through. As long as you get on the ball early on in the product’s lifecycle, you can open up many more opportunities rather than a now-traditional last minute rush to market.”

Interestingly, Vivendi has chosen to limit this latest movie tie-in to Nintendo’s formats and Sony’s reliable PS2, opting not to develop for Xbox 360 or PS3. “The game is streeting on the PS2 and DS this August 8th with a Wii version coming out on September 5th,” Chantler confirms.

“No other platforms are currently planned. The Wii, DS and PS2 fit perfectly with our target audience so it made sense for us to focus on making the best game we can on these platforms.”

In conjunction with movie producer NBC Universal, Vivendi will be spreading the word of its console outing beginning this month. “We have targeted specialist and national newspaper advertising happening between August and September as well as an online campaign running for the same period,” Chantler tells MCV.

“To support our media campaign we have teamed up with NBC Universal to run cross-promotions across national newspapers and cinema chains. The PR team has been hard at work securing some great coverage for the title across specialist and lifestyle publications.”

It’s sometimes hard to understand why publishers miss out on the chance to get a licensed game out in conjunction with a big movie hit. Whilst Sega was on the ball with the recent releases of Iron Man and The Hulk, where’s the Batman: Dark Knight or Hancock game?

At the time of going to press, both THQ’s WalllE and Activision’s Kung Fu Panda are riding high in the ChartTrack top ten, with Iron Man and The Bourne Conspiracy also lurking in Top 40. Keep your eyes open for The Mummy joining them very shortly.