Where's My Cloverfield Video Game?

We've probably all seen the ads, some of us probably saw the movie. I'm talking about Cloverfield, the J.J. Abrams-produced monster movie that grossed $46.1 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend (a new record for the month of January). Despite mixed reviews, the movie is extremely popular with fans thanks to a successful viral marketing campaign and many in the gaming community have discussed the possibility of a video game based on this Hollywood hit.

The problem with a Cloverfield video game at this stage is that as a movie-based video game timing for release is critical. Since no Cloverfield-based video game has been announced it is safe to assume that none will be made. Video games based on movies are just like any other product released to capitalize on a popular property, they are extensions of marketing and not end-products. If the release is timed too early you could reveal too much of the movie's plot and potentially hurt box office ticket sales. If the release is timed too late you miss out on the buzz generated by the movie if it were successful and sell fewer units.

Assuming for a moment that a video game were in development divulging of the script prior to a box office launch would be necessary in order for the game developer to produce their work. A movie such as Cloverfield which depended on secrecy to the degree it did for marketing purposes runs the risk of accidental release of information through this third party (the video game developer). Additional risk would be assumed as the video game developer would need to be in constant communication with the movie's production staff since the game's developers would have little creative say in the product they are producing. The movie producers were already taking a risk with its aggressive internet marketing campaign and the additional risk necessary for a video game's production may not have been deemed cost effective.

Although production timelines can vary on a game by game basis, production on an entirely new video game can take mere weeks for simple titles to upwards of nine years (like Duke Nukem Forever). In order for a video game developer to have been able to produce a video game based on Cloverfield they would have had to already been at work on the title since early last year, and this assumes the developer was playing it safe and developing little in the way of new game engines or writing new code but simply licensing and modifying existing tools.

I know many in the gaming community would love a Cloverfield video game but if it hasn't been released by now it simply isn't happening.

Joal Ryan, Cloverfield's a Monster, E! News Online

Jake Coyal, 'Cloverfield' Wins With Viral Marketing, AP Entertainment via SFGate.com

Blake Snow, 5 reasons why games based on movies suck, Joystiq