Warner making episodic Watchmen games

By Robert Purchese Published 23 July, 2008

Doesn't want a "low-quality" movie tie-in.

Warner Bros. has partnered with Deadline Games to create at least two downloadable games based on the Watchmen film.

The first of these episodes will be available alongside the movie launch next March, according to Variety.

The decision to go with shorter downloadable offerings - PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC - was made to achieve a better quality final product than most movie tie-ins, apparently.

"We don't want a low-quality console game that will get lost at retail," said Warner big shot Samantha Ryan. "A downloadable game allows us to deliver the experience that fans expect."

Deadline Games is responsible for Total Overdose, Chilli Con Carnage, and upcoming action outing Faith and a .45.

The Watchmen is an acclaimed comic book written by Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, From Hell) and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. The film is being created by 300 and Dawn of the Dead (2004) director Zack Snyder.

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.

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

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Comments (27) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • Evolution #1 4 years ago

    I don't want a "low quality" comic book based movie.

  • neilka #2 4 years ago

    Point-miss-me-do

  • ostrasized #3 4 years ago

    That sounds utterly appalling.

  • M83J01P97 #4 4 years ago

    Watchmen really, really, really, really, really, won't work as a game...

  • Farfarer #5 4 years ago

    "We don't want a low-quality console game that will get lost at retail,"

    So don't fucking make them, then!

  • el_pollo_diablo #6 4 years ago

    300 - the poorest film in recent memory.

  • DanWhitehead #7 4 years ago

    300 - the poorest film in recent memory.

    Meet The Spartans says otherwise.

  • bitesize #8 4 years ago


    got to say, despite an enormous dose of scepticism from me early on, the trailer for the watchmen move looks fucking ace. they've really nailed the look and feel of the world. obviously, that's a bit easier than nailing the plot and the acting and all the bits that actually make it a good movie, but it's going in the right direction...

    i know, i'm just setting myself up for huge disappointment when i do get to see the film...

  • captainrentboy #9 4 years ago

    bitesize, I have to agree.
    That recent trailer for Watchmen was probabaly one of the most effective I've seen this year.
    I didn't really have much interest in the movie until watching it. Now I've got the bloody graphic novel on the way :)
    And I'll be seeing it in supersize on Friday as it's attached to The Dark Knight prints.
    Edited by 1 at 23/07/08 @ 17:16

  • bushwod #10 4 years ago

    @ bitesize

    Yeah, me too.

    Got to say I quite like the idea of this. I'd rather have a short cheap game where I don't have to buy the second episode if I don't like it. Only prob is you can't trade it in.

  • bushwod #11 4 years ago

    @captainrentboy 'Now I've got the bloody graphic novel on the way :) '

    Good man. Cherish it.

    I am currently reading it for the 7th time (seriously) and still captivated and noticing new details. Best novel ever!

  • bitesize #12 4 years ago


    ^ heh, think i must have read it about that much as well... haven't read it for years mind, so i've just bought a new copy for a pre-movie re-read as well!

    it really is a work of genius.

  • monkie_king #13 4 years ago

    Hasn't Moore disowned the movie, like he has with the other adaptations? Supposedly he refused to even take a penny of the massive licensing royalty cheques for Constantine, From Hell and V.

  • bitesize #14 4 years ago


    ^ yeah, i think he just does it as a matter of course for any movie adaptations of his works. was a bit sad to read "based on the graphic novel illustrated by dave gibbons" on the movie poster though...

    that said, gibbons is very impressed - saw a video diary thing with him visiting the set + looking very overwhelmed with how they'd recreated his artwork in real life.

  • bitesize #15 4 years ago


    well no it don't really matter but i always use 'graphic novel' to refer to a longer work in book form and 'comic book' to refer to individual monthly issues. it's not like some lofty claim to high literature or trying to make it sound more important, calling it a graphic novel - it just makes it clear what you're talking about, y'know?

  • darc #16 4 years ago

    +1 re: the Watchmen trailer. Having hated 300 so much, I thought this was a goner, but the trailer - at larger than life cinema size/volume - just blew me away. I actually got a little teary-eyed LOL. I'm sure after that immediate reaction the film will disappoint on some level, but it definitely has "the look" nailed.
    Edited by 1 at 23/07/08 @ 19:18

  • Ninja_Tino #17 4 years ago

    David 'Solid Snake' Hayter wrote a 'Watchmen' script that Alan Moore said was as close anyone would get to getting it right. Warner Bros. obviously didn't accept his script and someone else wrote it!

  • anephric #18 4 years ago

    ^ Hayter's script had a stupid ending, so it shows what Alan Moore knows :p

    Can we have a Rorshach finger-breaking game please? Y'know, cruise a few bars, fuck up a few topknots, disembowel a few dogs.

  • pbz #19 4 years ago

    poss the best graphic novel ive ever read...i`ll save the flaming of the movie till ive seen it!

    ...must admit the trailer did put a big smile on my face though =)

  • Rodafowa #20 4 years ago

    Yeah, the trailer looks lovely but the thing is, getting the look of Watchmen right is (relatively) easy.

    What worries me is that Hollywood's got a pretty set idea of what a superhero flick ought to be, and Watchmen just doesn't fit it. F'rinstance, when was the last time you saw a popcorn superhero movie that didn't end in a climactic battle with the main supervillain? Rembember what happened in the climactic fight in Watchmen? See what I mean?

    I desperately, desperately want it to be brilliant. I'm not getting my hopes up, though.

  • Freek #21 4 years ago

    Why can't we just call it a comic book? Is that a dirty term?

  • ianegg #22 4 years ago

    Freek, see bitesize's comment. It was originally released as a series of 12 comic books, but you only ever see it in graphic novel format these days.

  • BooMMooB #23 4 years ago

    Sounds awesome. Can't wait for the movie, and also to see what Deadline Games has used the license for. On paper I think the downloadable episodes sounds like a terrific plan, since rushing out a game to meet a movie release is most often an impossible task (if you want a good game that is), so this is a welcome change of strategy. Let's see if it bears fruit.

    And yes, the graphic novel is all that good and more. Reading it again, just for kicks.

  • Azazel #24 4 years ago

    300 - the poorest film in recent memory.

    Meet The Spartans says otherwise.

    The trailer for Disaster Movie I saw just suggests otherwise yet again.

    Will they ever take a hint and STOP MAKING THESE PEICE OF SHIT MOVIES. The bastard spawn of Airplane have fallen a long way from the tree...

  • DanWhitehead #25 4 years ago

    David 'Solid Snake' Hayter wrote a 'Watchmen' script that Alan Moore said was as close anyone would get to getting it right. Warner Bros. obviously didn't accept his script and someone else wrote it!

    Hayter's script is the basis of the movie. Alex Tse was hired to do rewrites, but that doesn't mean the script has been completely rewritten. It's just standard Hollywood practice to bring in another writer to polish things up, or tailor the script to a particular actor or director. By all accounts, the film follows the book very faithfully.

    As for the game, the only way I can see it working is if they present it as a retro fighting game from within the Watchmen alternate timeline. Like, while we were playing Double Dragon, they had The Adventures of Nite Owl & Rorschach. That way the cheesy notion of a Watchmen beat-em-up actually becomes part of the meta-textual fabric of the property - a dumb marketing tie-in that works because it's a dumb marketing tie-in. If not, this could miss the point as spectacularly as the Fight Club game.

  • anephric #26 4 years ago

    Hayter's script ended completely differently to the comic, with a big fight between Ozy and Nite Owl. Nite Owl kills Ozy with Archie.

    Form-u-laic. When Snyder came on board that was the first thing he changed.

  • captainrentboy #27 4 years ago

    ''Just so you're forewarned, I saw The Dark Knight tonight and there was no Watchmen trailer 'attached to the print' (whatever that means)''

    That's probably because you saw an advanced preview, I'm guessing anyway, and occasionally they don't have the full set of trailers attached.
    It's no biggy, first and foremost I'm going for The Dark Knight anyway:)
    Attached to print is just a geeky way of saying which trailer (Usually for a huuuge upcoming movie) is supposedly guaranteed to be shown with that particular feature film. Terminator 4 is another one that's supposedly with TDK.