Facebook Fans Get to Play Out Celebrity Fantasies
A trio of console videogame stars joined the online social play revolution with a free-to-play title that lets folks at Facebook virtually live out celebrity fantasies, the Agence France Presse said Tuesday.
CelebrityMe was available at the world's leading social network on Monday as the first offering from Seismic Games, a startup launched by veterans of Activision, Vivendi Universal and Pandemic Studios.
Blockbuster console game titles worked on by Seismic founders Greg Borrud, Chris Miller, or Eric Gewirtz include horror shooter game "F.E.A.R." and a "Star Wars: Battlefront" action title based on the legendary film series.
"Facebook allowed us to provide this casual, light-hearted fun experience without a player having to be a hardcore gamer," Gewirtz said while demonstrating CelebrityMe for AFP.
The traditional console game makers saw hit social games at Facebook based on addictive play components such as hunting and gathering but perceived a lack of levity, according to Gewirtz.
"There wasn't a lot of comedy," he said, referring to hit online social games that involve running virtual farms or constructing make-believe castles.
"The fantasies in games weren't in line with real-world fantasies," Gewirtz said. "We were asking ourselves where the movie star and rock star fantasies were."
Seismic opened shop in Los Angeles in January with two million dollars in initial funding from a roster of investors that includes venture capitalist Tom Matlack and undisclosed entertainment industry bigwigs.
"CelebrityMe" lets players take pretend journeys from obscurity to fame, with victory marked by making it to stardom.
Source: Agence France Presse
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