It's still going to be a couple of months before Luc Besson's latest film, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, hits theaters, but his studio at Europacorp has enough confidence in the forthcoming sci-fi film to release a coinciding mobile game alongside it.
Today, the studio announced that Spil Games is hard at work on a forthcoming mobile game for the franchise, which will likely release around the same time as the film in late July.
"Spil Games impressed us with their vision and understanding of the world of Valerian," said Valerian producer Virginie Besson-Silla. "We are very excited and feel they are the perfect partner to help us share Valerian with the gaming universe."
According to the press release, "The quality and creativity of the game is vital for a Triple A Hollywood property like Valerian but the long-term partnership with EuropaCorp also relies on Spil Games' proven experience in creating and monetizing multi-million-dollar game franchises. The company's ability to engage with an international audience of more than 120m will be key to the game's commercial success, but it also opens up cross-marketing opportunities for the film."
"People are talking about this film as the spiritual successor to Fifth Element. It's going to be huge," says Tung Nguyen-Khac, Spil Games' CEO. "We're excited and honored to be making the game for Luc and I believe we can really intensify the audience experience around the themes and ideas within the movie.
"It's no longer enough to make a game that just mimics the movie," he added. "Yes, players want to dig further into the story but the game also has to be cool and fun to play in its own right. The producers of the New Hollywood understand that a game which captivates its audience can massively amplify a movie brand."
The game will feature many creative elements from the film, as well as provocative locations to visit, alien races to unlock and more. It should be set up as a free-to-play title, but that hasn't been finalized just yet.
Look for more details on Valerian in the months ahead. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the attached gallery to see screenshots from the forthcoming mobile game.
Alien Habitat of Alpha
We're not quite sure who lives here, but they probably don't complain too much about lighting.
