Join the Women's Murder Club

By Robert Purchese Published 5 February, 2008

Every Tuesday. Free biscuits.

Outspoken US author James Patterson wants to widen gaming boundaries with adaptations of his novels.

He sees the current market as a niche for a small number of boys, but believes his fan base is so large that his collaboration with Jane Jensen (of Gabriel Knight fame) will captivate a "monstrous" audience.

"Look, it strikes me that the videogame area is an incredibly lucrative niche market, one populated by a small number of boys - and grown up boys - who like to shoot things and spend a lot of money. But that excludes most of the universe," Patterson told The Hollywood Reporter.

"What I love about this project is the chance to widen the boundaries of what people can do on the small screen, sort of like what the Wii is accomplishing.

"We're going to give people who don't want to shoot things... Who prefer to use their brains... A chance to solve a really good mystery. This will open up a whole new arena to a lot of people who don't play games now," he added.

The game is known as Women's Murder Club for now, and features lots of Patterson input on top of typical adventure gameplay with puzzles and clicking and things.

Jensen and her Oberon team began the game last August and expect it to be available in May, though it's not clear on which platforms exactly. It will feature around 40 different areas for you to work your way through.

"Look, this is very exciting. It's not the money; I can't spend all the money I have," finishes Patterson. "But I look at the game and I think about the fact that the majority of people are excluded from games like these, and I go 'Wow! Big, big opportunity!'"

We'll look out for that opportunity sometime closer to May.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (29) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Hunam #1 4 years ago

    So he basically thinks he is inventing the adventure game genre does he... does he not realise that gaming at one point was just adventure games?

    Niche market too? Last time i checked gaming made more money than films.

  • Inspirius #2 4 years ago

    I wish I had so much money that I couldn't spend it all. I could then call mainstream forms of entertainment niche.

  • Tejstar #3 4 years ago

    My reading is that his comment regarding niche market refers to the traditional adventure game, which is pretty much non-existant nowadays. I don't think he's talking about gaming in general.

  • asphaltcowboy #4 4 years ago

    Wow, what a complete asshat.

    "We're going to give people who don't want to shoot things... Who prefer to use their brains... A chance to solve a really good mystery."

    Ok, given that those "people that prefer not to use their brains" make up pretty much all of the existing market, is it really a good idea to call them thickos?

    "Look, this is very exciting. It's not the money; I can't spend all the money I have..."

    Proof that he's an asshat.

  • Gnort #5 4 years ago

    Does anyone know if Jane Jensen is still working on Grey Matter, or whether this project is replacing it?

  • SBfistfun #6 4 years ago

    3/10

  • DanWhitehead #7 4 years ago

    A CLUB THAT MURDERS WOMENS? BAN THIS SICK FILTH.

  • jellyhead #8 4 years ago

    Well if Jane Jensen is onboard i have some hope but yeah he does seem like an asshat imo.
    Trouble is these games usually take a while to produce but August to May is no time at all for an adventure game development i think.

  • PCRist #9 4 years ago

    What is wrong with shooting things? I like to shoot things. Moreover, they require a lot of brains, granted they are often splattered over the walls, but... I like to shoot things.

  • HyperShadow #10 4 years ago

    Point and Click adventure?

    What next, some bright spark might come up with a virtual simulation of the horseless carriage, in all its varities, competing against each other in 'races'.

    By Golly old chap, I'm a genius.

    Pip pip, its Pimm's O'clock

  • kangarootoo #11 4 years ago

    Whats that? Expand the gaming customer base beyond the male 14-24 demographic?

    The man is a GENIUS!

    /is horrible cynical troll... sometimes

  • monkie_king #12 4 years ago

    /casts aspersions about the demographic that buys 3rd rate detective airport novels with gold embossed print on the cover

  • prettyboytim #13 4 years ago

    Normally I would be tempted to dismiss his comments out of hand, but seeing as he's actually putting his money where his mouth is (i.e. making the game), I'm quite prepared to wait and see him either succeed (great!), or fail in which case we can all point and laugh.

  • MBar #14 4 years ago

    Well, if that ain't a headline-grabbing game name.

    Almost makes me think he did that on purpose.

    Of course, I'm not that cynical.

  • Freek #15 4 years ago

    1996 called; it wants it's outlook on games back.

  • TedMoseby #16 4 years ago

    Any news on whether the game will use the likenesses/voices of the cast of the TV show?

  • erp #17 4 years ago

    Something that often bothers me: surely someone is only "outspoken" (in the media sense of the word) if everybody insists on printing everything they say?

  • ezsteel #18 4 years ago

    So what happened to Gray Matter, indeed?

  • dirtysteve #19 4 years ago

    second on asphaltcowboy! Both a good point and solid proof that yes, this man is a complete tool.
    What a way for an author to start a gaming venture. I guess we'll see if and when the game comes out whether or not he can back up the clumsy bluster, i don't hold out much hope. How many brass balls statements do we hear concerning games in an average year anyway? All of them promising complete reinvention etc.

  • Mortey #20 4 years ago

    what a prick. nuff said.

  • Bru-Man #21 4 years ago

    Sounds like Navi's bullying older brother: "Look...!"

  • arty #22 4 years ago

    So there was a TV show and now he's pimping the game as merchandise. He was an advertising exec after all (according to wikipedia, so it must be true...).

  • Redeye #23 4 years ago

    I was going to compose a scathing piece decrying this guy's arrogance and conceit, but in the end, it can all be summed up in one word: twat.

  • zoidberg #24 4 years ago

    He really thinks that MAINSTREAM gaming, the industry that has now OVERTAKEN the movie industry in terms of revenue is "niche entertainment"... And HE is the one to make it UNIVERSALLY appealing? Come on. Who the hell does this guy think he is? If Carmack, Will Wright, Sid Meier, Molyneux got behing Ron Gilbert to make the next Monkey Island, then yes, I would think that the adventure genre is coming back.

    Otherwise... someone go tell this prick to check out almost every game from 1989 to 1995. And make sure he plays Syberia, The Longest Journey, Grim Fandango, The Dig and the Monkey Island series. That'll shut him up.

  • kangarootoo #25 4 years ago

    H reminds me a bit of that graffitti artist chap, who also made some clothes and had a game called Contents Under Pressure (which mostly blew). Here to save an industry about which he understood nothing. He went far in the games business didn't he.

  • moggsy #26 4 years ago

    The funny thing is if you click on the 'buy now at Amazon' link you can see that there's lots of this type of game already available. He's not exactly trail blazing here.

  • welshben23 #27 4 years ago

    I love the books. But this will be a crap game.

  • Fyzzu #28 4 years ago

    Jane Jensen involved could be a decent thing. Sadly, he comes across as a bit of a tool, and I've never heard of him or his books, which probably isn't the best sign. Perhaps I should check them out.

    So, pretty much repeating the comments above, then. Still, I could do with another decent adventure game, so I'll can the rest of my cynicism and boo-this-random-guy-implied-we're-thick hate for now.
    Edited by Fyzzu at 06/02/08 @ 21:53

  • Grayvern #29 4 years ago

    Anyone who sells lowest common denominator novels via deep American voiced adverts about asinine thriller cliche can stay the hell away from videogames, childrens authors often have more literary skill. If gamers needed a thriller writer I think I'd much prefer someone like Michal Crichton.