A Producer for Batman Begins: The Video Game Says It's One Movie Tie-In That's Actually Fun

The landscape of video game history is riddled with the craters of failed movie tie-ins, and some of the biggest implosions were based on superhero flicks. (Does the name of Catwoman: The Game make your thumbs tremble in fear?) But Jason Ades, associate producer at Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, promises that Batman Begins: The Video Game is different. Utilizing full access to the filmmakers, the actor, and the script, Ades says co-producers Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts were able to faithfully recreate the film’s plot and mood while also making a fun game. In this interview, he tells us why this Batman game is the one to keep on your Bat Radar.

What will players see when they boot up the game?

They can expect to see an action-stealth Batman experience that’s really faithful to the film and also is an extension of the film franchise. For example, you will get to see certain parts of Arkham Asylum in the film—and you will be sitting there watching the film thinking, “God, it would be so cool to see more of that,” and that’s what we really aim to do. We aim to take some of those really gameable elements of the film and just blow them out for the game.


How closely did you actually work with the filmmakers in creating the game?

Batman Begins: The Video Game We worked very closely with the filmmakers to create the game. It was an excellent collaboration. We went to them and we told them what we needed to really make this game work, to really stay true to Christopher Nolan’s vision, and they gave us everything we needed. It was just an amazing experience. If we didn’t have that collaboration, I don’t think we could have even come close to making the experience we did.


What kind of elements did you use from the movie?

Everything from sound effects to stills, the light scans, you name it—it was there. We had complete access to the sets, we worked very closely with the stunt choreographer, we worked very closely with the director of photography on the look and feel and mood of the game, and we worked very closely with the set designer to make sure we were accurate in depicting Gotham City in our game. So it was what you always hope you’ll get in a game, which is a true collaboration.


How did you try to match the tone of the movie, which is so different from previous Batman movies?

Well, in order to really capture the tone of the film, the filmmakers again were great; they gave us access to the script. We had amazing security—you wouldn’t believe the security we had. So the few of us that could, we really looked at the script and said, “What really stands out, what is really the heart and the tone of Batman for this?” And it all came back to fear: The way that Batman harnesses fear and instills it upon his opponents to weaken them. He’s a human being, he can be killed, he can be hurt—so how does he use fear to weaken his opponents? We really focused in on that and we made it the core mechanic of our game, and from there just the mood really fell into place.


Were you able to expand on certain aspects of the film?

Batman Begins: The Video Game We definitely expand upon aspects of the film in the game that I think are both unexpected and hoped for. Fans of both the comic and the film have always wanted to see what Arkham Asylum is like. The films spends a little bit of time in Arkham Asylum, and then we looked at this and said, “Oh my gosh, we have got to make all kinds of great game play in Arkham Asylum.” First of all, it’s an insane asylum; second of all, that’s the ultimate place for the fear mechanic. You have Batman instilling fear, really creating this intense, heightened gaming experience that we were able to really capitalize on with that.

Besides playing through Arkham Asylum, you are also behind the Batmobile. That’s the greatest expansion of the film that you can think of. Literally being behind the steering wheel of the Batmobile—it’s great. I’m a huge driving (game) fan and to actually get to drive the Batmobile in the game is so empowering. It feels so great as a gamer to get behind the wheel of this gigantic cross between a Hummer and a Lamborghini. You’re just tearing through the streets of Gotham and it just feels really, really, really rewarding.


Do you use the exact same characters as the movie or did you introduce any of the other Batman characters?

We stayed very faithful to the film. We really wanted to make sure that we were in line with what the filmmakers were creating, so we were able to get Christian Bale as Batman, we were able to get Michael Cane as Alfred, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, and many others. So, in order to make this experience faithful and in order to really give that dramatic tone to our game, it was really important to get the film talent to do this and it really, really shows in the game.


Movie tie-in games have a history of not exactly providing a high-quality gaming experience. What would you tell skeptical gamers why this game makes for a great movie tie-in game?

Batman Begins: The Video Game It’s about the game. This game is about the game. When you have really, really great communication and a true collaboration with the filmmakers, you spend all your time building a game and none of your time fighting to get assets. We had such great communication that we were really able to spend the full time building the game, focusing in on what is really, really the key gameplay component and just continually building on that.