PlayStation Visual Arts senior director Michael Mumbauer delivering the keynote speech at the Level Up KL 2018 conference here. Starpic. by kamarul ariffin/26.10.2018
As the lines between videogame- and film-making blur, the field of virtual production could open up a wave of new opportunities for Malaysia, says PlayStation Visual Arts senior director Michael Mumbauer.
He describes 'virtual production' as a field that merges techniques from the film and videogame industries to produce work like the new generation of more cinematic games made with film technology like motion capture.
He also believes as videogame viewing becomes more common, there will also be a market for shows made using game Intellectual Property (IP) that can either just be watched or even played, rather than just being a cash in on a popular brand.
“We anticipate in the content wave of the next generation, people won't want to choose between just playing or watching, they'll want both. We can leverage on game IP and stream it via services like Netflix or Hulu,” Mumbauer said, while delivering the keynote speech at the Level Up KL 2018 conference in Kuala Lumpur.
He adds that as Virtual Reality technology is still struggling to find its way, blending the gaming and movie watching experience could become a way for users to interact with content they have watched.
Mumbauer pointed out the fact that Netflix last month put up a job posting for a Director of Virtual Production, which sought a candidate with a background in feature film and videogames, motion capture and videogame engines like Unity and Unreal.
“Here's what it means to Malaysia: there are many more jobs coming from these industries,” he says, referring to how new jobs would emerge that would need people with backgrounds from either industry.
Mumbauer added that among Asian markets, Malaysia is also unique in how its creative industry consumed both Eastern and Western content, making it more able to work with Western companies while still creating content that appeals to key Asian markets like China.
“This is your chance to be the next generation of game developers. I don't know if it'll be AAA (big budget) or mobile gaming, but it's definitely going to happen here in this region,” he said.
When asked if Sony was exploring partnerships with streaming services or create its own platform, Mumbauer replied that the company was open to exploring new ways to expand its IP but was not ready to announce anything.
“We aren't closed to having our content shown elsewhere. The film division of Sony is already working with Netflix with some shows on there, we could build on that,” he said.
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