American golden boy, aquatics enthusiast and recently smitten swimmer Michael Phelps is in talks to create his own video game franchise.Phelps, whose eight gold medals in Beijing made him a marketer's dream, is working with 505 Games on a title that is slated for spring 2010. Surprisingly, swimming may not be the main element. And everyone involved seems to be keeping a tight lid on the specifics.
My personal thoughts about any type of water-related gaming agree perfectly with Adam Sessler's, host of the popular TV show X-Play on the G4 network."Swimming will be a part of it, but it won't be set in an Olympic pool going back and forth," said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games, the company releasing the series.
"This is a pure action game," he added.
Does that mean our local aquatic hero could be roughing up bad guys and saving the world? Or will he be running amok a la Grand Theft Auto? The folks at 505 are still toying with a few different ideas and can't comment just yet.
That little dig at iPhone gamers aside, it makes sense that everyone is trying to cash in on Phelps.
"Swimming - in even a Mario game - is a miserable experience," he said. "Water is always a bad zone for games in general."
Sessler is pulling for something more adventurous such as Michael Phelps: Navy Seals. But anything with the name "Michael Phelps" on it will fly off the shelves at first - especially considering how impulsive iPhone gamers tend to be, he said.
But let me pose the question that I asked myself as I read this news: Has Michael Phelps' ship sailed already?
Sure, he was all the rage at and immediately following the Beijing Games, but has his cache worn off by now? Does attaching his name to a video game -- especially one that won't be out for at least a year -- make it any more appealing than the glut of other games out there?
Phelps plans to dive into video game world [Baltimore Sun]
I read a lot about Next Generation iPhones but find most of the news pretty boring. I don't know why it matters so much. Personally, I bought my iPhone two years ago, it still works fine and I don't feel the need to upgrade to a newer model. There's a great deal of mobile websites and www.squidoo.com/mobile_online has a cool list of iPhone apps and sites. Instead of getting a new iPhone, I would probably spend the money on the iPad tablet instead.