King of Pop Michael Jackson is no stranger to the video game universe, having previously starred in 1989 arcade and Sega Genesis title Moonwalker, plus made guest appearances in 2000′s Space Channel 5 and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2. But thanks to publisher UbiSoft and its new title Michael Jackson: The Video Game, the artist – who passed away a little over a year ago from cardiac arrest – will again enjoy a starring interactive role on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS and PSP this holiday season.
A savvy move designed to capitalize on the seminal musician’s enduring star power and the dawn of new motion control technologies such as Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony’s PlayStation Move, sales of the hybrid dance and karaoke simulator are expected to be high this Christmas. However, in a recent interview we conducted for Rolling Stone, UbiSoft international brand manager Felicia Williams told us that the team had “been considering making a [Michael Jackson] game for years, but the technology wasn’t there.” Which made us wonder: Exactly how did the prescient collaboration between one of the world’s largest game makers and performing artist’s estate come about?
Variety blogger Chris Morris got the scoop straight from company CEO Yves Guillemot in his latest column for Technotainment, which explains how the next-gen Michael Jackson video game came to be. While UbiSoft has confirmed that you won’t play as Jackson himself, but rather learn his moves and songs instead, hope still endures. Read: There’s no definitive word yet on whether it’ll contain bonus stages that require you to protect innocent children from overzealous paparazzi by swathing their heads in goofy-looking blankets.
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Scott Steinberg is the CEO of video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, and founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. Hailed as a top technology and video game expert by dozens of publications from USA Today to Forbes and NPR, he’s covered the field for 400+ outlets from Playboy to Rolling Stone. A frequent on-air analyst for networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, he’s also the author of Video Game Marketing and PR.