Vin Diesel producing Hannibal MMO

By Dan Pearson Published 13 March, 2009

Carthaginian RPG is his "dream game".

Good old Vin Diesel, he likes to dream. He's also the kind of guy with the money and power to make it happen. So his revelation to Destructoid that Tigon Studios are working on his "dream game" - no less than a historical MMO set during the time of Hannibal - is worth noting.

According to Diesel: "My dream game is something we've been working on in-house. We haven't talked about it much because we've been mulling over how to do it just right. My dream game is a game that we're developing called Barca B.C."

He was answering the question of what his dream project would be, were the pressures of finance and marketing to be discounted.

He went on to say that "the reason why it's my dream game is because it is an MMO and - remember you said funds were not an issue in this scenario, this is obviously a hugely expensive game - but, it's a massively multiplayer online game where you create an avatar that lives in the reality of Hannibal Barca, the Punic Wars and life 200 B.C."

Quite the concept. Oddly, the Tigon Studios website refers to Barca BC as an action RTS, rather than an MMO, but we're not about to start an argument with Vin Diesel.

Barca B.C. has apparently been in development for three years already, but won't be seen for some time yet. In fact it could be another four years off, according to Diesel, a date which would tie in nicely with the release of Hannibal, the film currently in production about the life of the Carthaginian general, directed by Vin Diesel. We've contacted Tigon for more information on the tie-in nature of Barca B.C. and will let you know as soon as we do.

For the time being we'll leave the last words to the big man, with a little insight into how his mind works.

"When we talk about dream case scenarios, man, I would love to play as a Carthaginian soldier 200 years before Christ. Sailing around the Mediterranean, that'd be pretty damn cool. If you could add some historical elements to it, the better."

There you have it.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • richarddavies #1 3 years ago

    I read years ago that Vin diesel was trying to get the funding together to do a Hannibal movie, but couldn't get the money so im not suprised he's jumped to games now seeing as how well he seems to be doing with the format.
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/09 @ 13:05

  • PearOfAnguish #2 3 years ago

    I request an Ellie interview with Vin Diesel.

  • Ninja_Tino #3 3 years ago

    Vin is gonna be on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross next week. Not a clue what he has to promote, other than games. I actually saw a guy who looked similiar yesterday, drinking coffee. Life, eh?

  • Olemak #4 3 years ago

    There's a new Fast & Furious movie with Diesel in it, he's probably doing the rounds promoting that.

    Historical MMO's hava a tradition of being even more boring than fantasy MMO's, so I am not convinced that this game will ever happen. They'll probably have to introduce undead, minotaurs and snake-men to make it action-filled enough, and then the whole point sort of goes away. A good RTS based around the punic wars sounds good tho. Sorta. Dont know it these Tigon guys have the muscle and the wits to go a proper RTS... best to leave that sort of thing to the pros.

  • spenner #5 3 years ago

    Sounds like a bit of a shitty idea to me...

  • kangarootoo #6 3 years ago

    The first Riddick game was brilliant... apart from the section which was apparently Vin Diesel's idea. That section was pants.

    So make of that what you will.

  • Triggerhappytel #7 3 years ago

    I like Vin. It's nice to have someone who's proper famous and knows his stuff about games.

    @ Kanga - what bit was Vin's idea in Butcher Bay, then? The only bit I can think of that I really didn't like was when you were fetching Pope Joe's radio and had to run through the tunnels against all those mutants. That bit was shite.

    Oh, and "My dream game is a game that we're developing called Barca B.C."

    Apart from the fact he'll need a lotta, lotta funding to make an MMO a success, it'll also need a better name than that. Good luck and all that, though.

  • Olemak #8 3 years ago

    "Age of Hannibal".

  • VicViper #9 3 years ago

    All this needs is to be manufactured in a factory/development house situated in a land fill and when their finished they just pull the supports and the whole thing can save fuel transportion cost and end up in the same place.

    Of course I could be wrong the riddick games where decent enough.
    Edited by 2 at 13/03/09 @ 14:03

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel

    "The only bit I can think of that I really didn't like was when you were fetching Pope Joe's radio and had to run through the tunnels against all those mutants. That bit was shite."

    That is exactly the bit I am talking about. I rest my case :)

    I think Vin knows his stuff insofar as he is a gamer that is aware of the scene, and its good that he is flying our flag, but knowing how to make games that are good is a whole different ball game and I would be concerned (given his limited record) if he had too much creative control over anything.

    Love to be proved wrong, and discover that the Riddick tunnels were just a "hiccup".

  • Triggerhappytel #11 3 years ago

    Oh dear... let's just hope either that rumour was untrue and Vin didn't design that section, or he has grown wise to his own shortcomings and has decided not to have too much control over Tigon's future works.

  • kangarootoo #12 3 years ago

    My sentiments exactly.

  • Gearskin #13 3 years ago

    Vin Diesel is awesome. Fact.

  • photoboy #14 3 years ago

    Brilliant! I've wanted a Hannibal Lecter game for ages, and making it an MMO so I can cannibalise players from around the world is just the icing on the cake.

  • Bleh #15 3 years ago

    The idea of a game in the Hannibal era sounds intresting. Something different from all those elfs and dwarfs etc.

  • Cheeky #16 3 years ago

    Vin Diesel, surprisingly, isn't a moron.

  • creepylizard #17 3 years ago

    I wonder who he'd want to play Hannibal though..? WHO could it be?
    He doesn't seem like a complete arse, though, from what I've read...

  • harzo #18 3 years ago

    I was expecting people to hate this guy, I dunno why though! He seems pretty cool. There is a very good interview on Game Trailers that sheds a lot of light on his knowledge ongames... impressive!

    [link url=http:// www.gametrailers.com/player/46519.html
    ]http://ww w.gametrailers.com/player/46519...[/link]

    How funny would it be if his name was Vin Petrol?

    Lol

  • hiddenranbir #19 3 years ago

    I want MOAR RIDDICK

  • frankfurter209 #20 3 years ago

    I really like Vin Diesel. Maybe not his movies, but the man himself is very endearing
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/09 @ 21:10

  • Lamont #21 3 years ago

    This will BOMB

  • rudedudejude #22 3 years ago

    I hope Red Dragon will be featured as well as Clarise.

  • hiruu #23 3 years ago

    The game might never happen, but MMO isn't limited to 3rd person...you can have a MMO that's an RTS, so I'm not sure about it working out.

    WRT to the Hannibal movie...Vin needs to work up a great script, and work pitch it along the lines of "300"...with some elements of fantasy in the movie...psuedo-historical. The fact is that Hannibal did lick the crap out of the Roman, until they decided that they would use attrition to deal with him, over outright combat....